In which I try to put disgusting jelly goop masquerading as “pudding” in my face.
I finally finished my last final a week or so ago, which means that winter break has officially begun. Victory!
It also means that I’ve been here for a whole semester, which is a little more difficult to believe. Time has flown by like I never would have anticipated. But I’ve also had more amazing experiences than I can count, and I’ve been learning a ton, so although this year is already half over, I don’t feel in the slightest like it’s been wasted.
Being at the end of a semester, as well as just about the end of the calendar year, I thought it’d make sense to reflect a little on what I learned so far in Japan. When thinking about this post, I’ve been unable to decide if I want to style it as a letter to my past self–what I wish I knew–or a note to future AKP students, or who knows what. In the end, though, I think I’m just going to leave it as reflections.
Here, in no real order, are some reflections on this first semester in Japan.
Continue readingIn which I make up for a whole month of missed wackiness while sampling a citrusy/Smarties-y soda.
In which I review a short bottle of probiotic beverage in short sentences.
Whoooa, got backlogged on posting these here. Here’s some catching up.
Vend it to Me #4, in which I sample a drink that tastes suspiciously like Halloween candy.
A month or so ago, as part of a joint field trip with my Lenses of Culture and Waste and Pollution classes, we went to Osaka to visit the Osaka Human Rights Museum. Organizing thirty American students and getting to Osaka, about an hour away on the train, was an interesting (read: hair-tuggingly frustrating) experience, but when we actually got there, the museum was quite the sight. Continue reading
In which I sample a “proprietary milk-based pop”, and then do things with it that I never should have even considered.
I will write a real blog post soon, honest. Things have just been remarkably busy. Excuses, excuses.
In which I discuss bees, cough drops, and unusual flavors of soda.
This is the first episode of a series of videos I hope to continue while I’m over here. If you’re an American who’s never been to Japan, you cannot understand how many vending machines there are over here. It’s ridiculous. Not only do I pass 13 beverage vending machines (along with three tobacco and two newspaper) on the way to the train station every morning, I can see countless others when I look out the windows on the train, both in front of shops and near train stations, but also tucked away in residential neighborhoods. They’re freaking everywhere. And they have a huge variety of offerings, both hot and cold. It’s convenience in a way that you’ve never experienced it before.
It fascinates me, and also makes me want to sample pretty much everything they have. So, inspired by my friend Ed, who’s been trying for a while now to eat or drink something every day that he’s never eaten or drunk before, I thought I’d make a video project somewhat similar. I don’t have the time to do one every day, but I’ll try to fit it in when I get the chance. If there’s anything this first one has shown me, it’s that they’re a lot of fun to produce, if a little time consuming. Plus, it gives me an opportunity to try a ton of unfamiliar beverages! How cool is that?
So, here’s the first episode. More will come later.
I failed to do the right thing today.
I was walking home. I live near a middle school and an elementary school, so depending on when I get off the train, I occasionally run into a ton of students on my way home. Tonight, that was the case, so I was wading upstream against a flow of uniformed school students for most of the walk.
Not too far from the station, I pass by a little parking lot. Tonight, as I approached, I saw a bit of a scuffle. It looked like a boy—about middle school age–had another boy in a headlock, and as I got closer, I realized that was exactly the case. As I watched momentarily, another boy came by and pushed the victim down and sat on him.
People were all around, yet nobody did anything. And I knew it was wrong and that the kid was getting tormented, yet after watching for a minute and trying to weigh my options, I chickened out and walked away. Continue reading