Kamakura, Yokohama harbor and Kawagoe

Kamakura is a popular place for tourists to visit. It is the home to a lot of temples, shrines, statues and more. I have actually gotten the opportunity to visit Kamakura twice already. First time I went was with the Toyama family - my fathers old work acquaintance’s wife’s sister’s family. They are a really wonderful family who has taken me to several places. Takashi is the father, Noriko the mother, Mizuki the daughter (left) and on this day Mizuki’s friend Kaori (right) joined us.

The weather was good and it was on the weekend, so a lot of people had decided on visiting Kamakura on this particular day. Therefore it took us a while to get there, but it was worth it!

We visited the big Buddha statue, which we also went into. On this day the sun was scorching, and you could almost not touch the wall facing the sunny side, it was so warm!

After the big Buddha statue we went on to a little area up on a mountainside. Lastly to another populated area with a shrine where we were lucky enough to behold a wedding ceremony.

We took the car back to the Yokohama area and went to Minato-mirai and the Yokohama Landmark Tower. The top floor where you could stand and let yourself be enchanted by the night lights was around 275 meters up in the air. This wonderful day was rounded off with a great meal down on the bottom floor.

The second time I visited Kamakura was with the Kanagawa Systematized Goodwill Guide (KSGG). We first landed at the Kitakamakura station, and met everyone in a very nice valley, at the Engaku-ji. The guides were very good and knowledgeable. After this we headed on over to the same shrine I visited with Toyama family, then to lunch, then to the big Buddha. So it some of it I had already experienced, but I got a day together with friends, pleasant guides and other new people!

A few weeks later there was going to be held a festival in Kawagoe. Kawagoe-matsuri. I went there together with some YSEP friends. Jasmin and Miika from Finland, and Ting-yu from Taiwan. We was there for a whole day, and the whole day it rained. We still managed to have fun! First we walked around until we found a good place to have lunch at, after which we roamed the streets for a couple of hours. We entered shops with ridiculously expensive chop-sticks and other shops with a lot of handmade crafts. 

Ting-yu had planned ahead some, so we followed her plan which took us to a castle-building. Real たたみ (tatami) and a very interesting atmosphere. You got the feeling of going back in time. They have these really beautiful gardens, and it feels surreal and real at the same time. Indescribable feeling.

We headed back to the middle of town to find something to eat. Eventually we decided on おこのみやき(okonomiyaki). At this point there was supposed to be a big final event of the festival, but this was unfortunately cancelled due to bad weather.
It did not break our spirits though. Another day, another adventure.

More of my Kamakura pictures can be found here.

And if you want the Kawagoe-pictures, goe here.

Life in Aobadai

View from our lab in Ookayama

Now I have been in Japan for a little over a month and am really starting to get into the rhythm of things. Every day leaving the dormitory for school, squeezing into the crowded train, and in the evening returning on an even more crowded train - regardless of if you are returning at 17 or at 23. We have around a 10 minute walk to the station, and about 1 hour door-to-door from dorm to campus.

View from dorm balcony

Most of my time is spent on or around campus, or on adventures in Tokyo. Though I have had the chance to go explore our little Aobadai a few times. Aobadai is actually situated in Yokohama which is the second most populated city in Japan after Tokyo. I have taken a few walks, and gone for a few runs.

There are somewhat many people walking about in Aobadai but not nearly as many as if you get closer to Tokyo, or if you go southeast in Yokohama. Which is why it is quite calm and peaceful out here. Supermarkets and restaurants are plentiful. Nearby the Aobadai Station is a department store called Tokyu Square, and there we have electronics shops, clothing stores, and much more. Also in Tokyu Square is the supermarket Fuji Garden which is the foodstore I usually visit. If you take the walk from the station to our dorm, Shofu, then you will find yourself walking past at least four more supermarkets.

The price of food from the store here is close to what it is back in Sweden, though slightly cheaper. But any readymade food is extremely cheap! Just yesterday morning I bought two bento-boxes for 525 JPY in total (35 SEK). So sometimes cooking feels like too much of a hassle. Also, our kitchen only has a gas stove with two spots. I feel very limited without my good ol’ oven back home. But it does not stop me from cooking every now and then.

Shofu

Umegaoka

Though more expensive restaurants can easily be found. We have a nice burger joint called Freshness Burger, and tomorrow some friends and I will try しゃぶしゃぶ (shabu-shabu). Exciting!

The dormitory is very affordable and conditions here are decent. Most time is spent by my desk, at the ping pong table in the common room, or in my bed. For birthdays and other such events us YSEP students usually meet up at the other dormitory, in Umegaoka, which is about a 30 minute walk from our dorm. I hope I will survive this dormitory for 10 more months.

cheers
-
http://jonasroth.tumblr.com/search/aobadai

Homestay

So, the weekend Oct 5-6 was my Homestay! I got to meet the Murakami family.

I did not know what to expect from this weekend, because I don’t think that it’s as common in Europe to have this kind of homestay program. But it was a lot of fun, and I got to meet more families than just my own homestay family. So many happy people!

First we all gathered at O-okayama to be introduced. Some had already met their homestay family at the orientation during the previous weekend, but the Murakami family could unfortunately not be there. So this was our first time meeting.

Thereafter we moved on to a Hippo Club house where we shared some food and played some “language games” as they usually do.

When this was over we went on home to our respective families. But first we had to go to a grocery store. They wanted me to teach them how to cook some Swedish meatballs, and they wanted to show me how to cook some japanese おこのみやき (okonomiyaki). Also, some more people joined our dinner - not only my homestay family.

We ate food and shared some stories. I was the only foreigner there, but English worked just fine for the most part. I shared with them some pictures from my travels in Europe, and the daughter in the family, Kaede, shared some pictures from her recent trip to California.

Next morning we headed on over to IKEA in Yokohama, where we had a “traditional Swedish breakfast” with meatballs, fries, rice, pasta, jelly and more. Haha.

Then we proceeded to take a tour through the store. They bought a few items and I pointed to a lot of them, explaining the English/Japanese translation of all the Swedish names of everything. Apparently IKEA is quite new here and has only existed in Japan for a few years. A lot of people though. Buying soft ice-cream, hot dogs, lingonberry jam and also some furniture.
I decided to buy some saffransglögg and some fläderblomssaft as a gift to them.

After the IKEA adventure we went back to their neighborhood in Futako-tamagawa where we visited a shrine. Beautiful shrine with an underground passage that was 100m long. Where 30m was in complete pitch darkness. Along the walls in this passage were a lot of buddha statues. There were also these bowls which you hit lightly with a tiny wooden stick to make them sound. An interesting and unique experience for me.

Then it was time for lunch! Just down the street they found an Udon-place where we decided to fuel up before heading over to karaoke.

Karaoke seems to be very popular among many of the generations, especially the younger ones.

The day was coming to an end, so we went back to play some cards and finally went to the Futako-tamagawa station where we said goodbye to one family. Then my homestay family and I had our final meal for this weekend. Just by the station was this building where they had a few restaurants. I chose an Indian restaurant. A great end to a great weekend.

Thank you so much, Murakami family. I hope to see you again soon!

-----
http://jonasroth.tumblr.com/search/homestay

Adventure with Fujita lab members

On 2013-09-29 we went to Shinjuku first, where we went to eat ramen. After that we went back to the Harajuku station, and from there we headed into Yoyogi park where they had a large shrine. This day was together with Vesa-san, Funada-san, Sugimoto-san and Miyazawa-san.

Yamauchi-san could unfortunately not join us.

You were supposed to wash your hands before you entered the shrine which was situated in a large forest like park. Also, beneath a tree in the square people hung little wooden bricks on which they had written their wishes.

When we felt that we were done inside the park, we walked back to Harajuku station and from there started walking towards Shibuya. So many people outside. And the first time I really see a lot of tourists. Since we live in Yokohama-shi, just outside of Tokyo, we don’t see a lot of tourists around. But in central Tokyo, and places like Harajuku/Shibuya, they are everywhere.

While regretting that I wore a black shirt on a sunny scorching day, we went up through a fashion store to a Starbuck’s atop a building. It was very beautiful up there with a bunch of greenery. Funada-san told me about how they have to CO2-compensate for the buildings in the large cities and that is partially why so many buildings have trees and greenery on the rooftops.

We kept walking through town towards Shibuya station. Tokyo has so tall buildings. And many people everywhere. I’m looking forward to some day planlessly walk around in these cities without being on a schedule.

At the Shibuya station there’s a famous pedestrian crossing. Right next to the crossing there was this statue of an, apparently, famous dog called Hachikō.

Then we took the train from this station to Harajuku. Another place where there are so many people. Many tourists, but also many japanese people. They have a lot of game machines, electronic stores, anime shops and much, much more.
We went into a large electronic store, called Yodobashi, and while there I decided to buy a new SLR camera. My Canon EOS 400D has been with me a long time and I felt it was time to switch it out. That was a great way to end our adventure.

Vesa-san and I headed home to Shofu Dormitory, and the other guys disembarked on their station. Somehow you still feel kind of like a tourist, but I guess that’s partially because I haven’t been here for too long, and partially because we did such touristy things today. I do not believe that anyone of the japanese people had been to the meiji shrine before.

It was a good day.

Second post from Japan

I guess I'll write something here now.

I've gathered some random thoughts that I've written over the last couple of days, just remembering what the first few days were like.

For the first couple of days I was extremely jet-lagged. I arrived in Japan in the morning, and a whole day went on. Everything felt surreal.
I am so happy that Yamauchi-san came to greet me at the airport.

He guided me to my dormitory - a long way with buses and trains and everything. 

Thereafter he took me to a restaurant close to the Aobadai station. Ever since then I think I have had rice for maybe 90 % of my meals, and the rest have been with noodles. A bit of an adjustment for the western stomach.

There are so many people on the train. Even late in the evening. Though the train is very punctual and everything works fine, and it only costs us like 21.000 yen (1400 SEK) for 6 months (with student discount). We can then travel between two stations for free. It’s called a commuter pass.

Many people sleep on the train and it is very quiet inside. One really annoying thing about the Stockholm subway is that it is very noisy during Friday nights and other party nights. Everyone is talking on their phone and talking louder and louder so as to overpower the next group of people talking to each other. Here phones are not allowed in some seats. You are also asked to keep your phone in silent mode and refer from speaking on it while on the train.

In my laboratory we are two YSEP students, me and Vesa-Ville from Finland. We will be working on somewhat related subjects.
Most people are very polite and happy here. The people from our laboratory (The Fujita Laboratory at O-okayama Campus) are very kind and include us in most of the activities. Many days everyone goes to lunch together, and we have joined them for a few activities.

Last week they were going to celebrate some people graduating and getting their Masters degree. So we all went out to a restaurant and thereafter some went on to a karaoke place.

That was a night to remember.

Another example of how happy and friendly everyone is, is the one night Homestay orientation at O-okayama campus at TITECH. So many happy families with their children and friends. The people who make this homestay possible is the Hippo club. They are people all over the world who are interested in language exchange. So everyone there was very happy to hear everything you had to share - and it was very easy to ask them any questions.

The Homestay is actually this weekend, on Oct 5-6. Hopefully I'll get some new pictures and post them on my Tumblr.

Will probably write something on here as well.

This is me

Hello everyone,

this will be my main blog during my exchange in Japan, and here I will write and upload some images. If you are more interested in my images than my writing, you might have more fun visiting my tumblr where I will probably upload a lot more pictures.
http://jonasroth.tumblr.com/
http://tumblr.com/blog/jonasroth

If there are any specific pictures that you want, just ask me and I'll give them to you in full resolution.

I'm a 22 year old Swedish fellow who studies at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. While at Tokyo Institute of Technology I will study some Mechanical and Control Engineering. I will belong to the Fujita Laboratory at O-okayama Campus.

I'm in the Shofu Dormitory, which is located Yokohama-shi, near Aobadai station.
If any other current YSEP students want me to link to their blog, just send me an e-mail.

Welcome to my blog !