Great Weekend

This past weekend I met up with old friends in Tokyo. They took me to their beach house in Chiba and it was amazing. We had a nice barbeque and we set off fireworks. The family had two kids..They had one son who was my age who I became good friends with. The next day we went to the beach and caught fish, shrimp, and an octopus! After a delicious sashimi lunch we went back to Tokyo where we had dinner at a yakitori restaurant. I ate two new foods, chicken gizzard and chicken liver. Not my favorites, but I'm glad I tried them. The next day I went around Tokyo with the boy from the family. We took a boat up a river all the way through Tokyo to Asakusa. I bought a wooden sword and a yukata there. Then we had tonkatsu for lunch and did some more shopping. After that I took the strawberry bus home to Togane. I had a great time.

Tokyo with Friends

Yesterday I went to tokyo with a friend I met playing soccer named Kaito. He is a University student in Tokyo. He and his girlfriend Rina took me in by train. They did not speak much english but between their English and my Japanese we got by. They took me all over Tokyo. We went to Ginza, Shibuya, and Asakusa. I bought some cool new Japanese shoes, ate okonomiyaki for lunch, and then had an incredible time in Asakusa. Kaito and Rina were so nice to me and wanted me to try every food we could find and show me as much of Tokyo as possible. They were the best tour guides! After I came home from Tokyo I gave gifts from America to my host family. They were so happy, and all three of my brothers jumped on me to give me a hug and it turned into one big dog-pile with me at the bottom. Rie wanted to join in so she climbed to the top of the pile and started jumping up and down. My ribs are still a bit sore... After all of that excitement, we went out for dinner at a steak house for "American tasty meal". American taste isn't exactly how I would describe it but it was delicious none the less. What a day!

Japanese Kindergarden

Today was very special. I was allowed to sit in for a day in a class room at Rie's kindergarden. All of the kids were incredibly friendly and incredibly cute! They all wore blue and white uniforms with little yellow caps. I introduced myself to them in japanese and they all said "good morning" to me even when it was 2:00 pm.. that was pretty funny. All the kids were very disciplined even at such a young age and they all sing songs together. Todays schedule consisted of planting "edamame" in the school's garden, recess, lunch, art class, story time, and singing time. Pretty much identical to my junior year schedule at high school....

Kabuki Theater

On saturday I got to see all my friends from America who I met at the orientation in Berkeley, CA. YFU organized an event to see kabuki theater with everybody. I made some great new friends from all over the world. I appreciate it for the fact that it was a cultural experience but the kabuki itself was a bit boring.. I am not a fan of theater to begin with and the fact that I couldn't understand a word didn't help much. The costumes were incredible and I enjoyed the music though. After the show we went to Shibuya for dinner. I really had a blast just speaking english. I got back to my house in Togane rather late but the night wasn't over yet. First I went beetle catching with Toshi, and then I watched the world cup game.. Long day.. great day..

More Pictures!

Great Day

Today I had an awesome day at school. I made a lot of new friends. After school I walked to the Togane Post Office and bought about 800 yen worth of stamps.. enough for about seven letters home. Then I went to a big department shopping center and bought my host family some sweet bean desserts for a present. After that I went home and took a nap with Koujiro, Toshi, and Rie. We were all very tired from watching Japan play in the world cup the night before. Then, at around seven Koujiro, Rie, Okaasan, and I went to a big indoor gymnasium and I got to play soccer with some other kids from Togane. It was a lot of fun. After soccer we went for Ice Cream then we went home for dinner. I ate a new food today at dinner! FISH HEADS!! We ate these little fried fish for dinner and Okaasan encouraged me to try the heads! I just went for it, and they were "oishi". Rie didn't like the heads so I ate hers for her! What a day.. Only 26 more to go.

Narita Shrine

Yesterday I slept in and Rie and I skipped school. At around noon Okaasan took us both to the Narita Shrine. I could not believe how big it was. All of the buildings were ancient and very intricately detailed it was beautiful. I learned a lot about buddhist religion and met with a high priest who showed me how to properly light incense and pray at a buddhist shrine. I felt very honored to be let in on such ancient and important traditions. After visiting the shrine Rie was very hot so we went to a restaurant and we all got these giant blue Japanese snow cone things, they were very refreshing. Then, we drove to nearby Narita airport where my host father works. After maybe five security checks my host father took us all into the main control tower of Narita Airport!!! It was sooo cool. I got to see all the fancy switch boards and I got a 360 degree view of the runways while planes landed and took off. SO COOL.

Kujukuri Beach and Japanese Hotspring!

Two days ago (sunday) Idei sensei took me to kujukuri-hama which is a beach about 10 minutes from my house in Togane. It was beautiful there and the beach went on and on for miles. I walked on the beach by myself taking pictures and collecting shells while Idei sensei and her friends went to a make-up class at a near by hotel. After my walk on the beach I went back to the hotel and took a traditional Japanese public bath. Part of the experience required getting completely naked in front of several random Japanese men.... which I did. But the bath was very relaxing and I had a great time.

Went into Tokyo!

Yesterday was a very fun day. I woke up at around 8:00 a.m. ate a quick breakfast then my host dad dropped me off at a bus stop. I got on the bus and took it from Togane to Tokyo Station. Once at Tokyo station I bought a ticket and my host parents told me to take the Yamanote Line to Shinjuku. But when I looked at the train map it seemed the Chuo Line would get me there much faster.. So I took my chances and went with the Chuo Line and I was in Shinjuku in about 5 minutes instead of 30 minutes on the Yamanote Line. I was pretty impressed with my navigation skills... Then once in Tokyo, I met up with an english teacher who is a family friend of the Motoyoshis in a Takashimaya. Then we walked back to her office where I met her husband and cousin. They were the nicest people and we talked for hours in English, which felt very good! Then they took me to the Meiji Shrine which was awesome. We also walked around Harajuku and saw a lot of weird looking people. Then we drove back to Togane and they took me out for Okonomiyaki. It was delicious, just like every food in Japan. will post pictures soon!

Hello!

Here are a few pictures. More are coming soon!
These are pictures of my brother Toshi with a japanese beetle we caught together, my sister Rie-chan, and my house in Togane.

Im in Japan.

Hello! I am in Japan and it is amazing. It is everything I ever hoped it would be and more. My host parents, grandparents, brothers, and sister are all unbelievable! I have done so much in the past few days I could never fit it all into one post, so I will post pictures soon. I am currently going to Togane High School. All of the kids there are obsessed with me. I feel like a celebrity! I am going to join the soccer club at school and I'm sure I will make some great friends that way. I am about to go for a bike ride around Togane with my eight year old brother Toshi. Sayonara!

Berkeley JPDO was great! Now I'm off to Japan!

My japan pre-departure orientation was amazing. We stayed in dorms at the University of California Berkeley. I made a ton of new friends who will be staying in Japan for the summer. We ate great food and went to all kinds of classes about Japanese language and culture. I met with a Kikkoman executive for a dinner and he was a really cool guy, I am so happy to have such a great sponsor! I woke up at 4:00 a.m. this morning and took a flight at 8:45 a.m. to Seattle. I am now waiting in Seattle Airport to board my flight to Narita, japan. I can't believe I am finally going to meet my host family! I am not going to be able to sleep on this flight I am way too anxious to meet them all! The next time I post here I will be living with my host family! Hopefully they have internet so I can write about what is going on.

I Leave Tomorrow!

I had my last day of school today! I'm glad that is over with. It is officially summer for me now! I'm going to miss all of my friends this summer but I know it is way worth it. I've only just begun packing and tonight I will be going out for a last dinner with my family. I still need a few things like flip-flops and some toiletries, but I'm sure I can get them in California or Japan. I am so excited to meet my host family in Togane and start my summer exchange experience!

I Have A Host Family!

While at my regional orientation in Fishkill, New York, I got a call from my parents telling me I had been placed with a family! I will be staying with the Motoyoshi family. I have a host mom, dad, three younger brothers, and a younger sister! I can't believe I got such a big family! I can't wait to meet everyone! They live in Togane, which is a city in the Chiba prefecture. It is a suburb of Tokyo! I couldn't be happier with my placement! Within a week, I will be meeting my host family!

Fishkill Orientation This Weekend..

My attempt to pick up some Japanese through Rosetta Stone is going pretty well so far. Maybe I will be able to do a post in Japanese by the end of my exchange. I am really excited to go to Fishkill this weekend. Hopefully I will meet some new friends and learn a little more about the details of my trip. I can't believe it is almost here only ONE WEEK until I leave for Japan. Still no word on a host family. I hope I am placed in or around a city. I also hope I have a sibling. I guess I will have to wait and find out!

2 Weeks!

I can't believe I'm almost leaving for Japan! In one week I will be going to Fishkill, NY for a pre-departure orientation and then one week after that I will be on my way to Japan! I have started a Rosetta Stone program to try and pick up some Japanese before I go. Still no word about a host family yet...or a clue as to where in Japan I will be staying. All know is that I can't wait for my summer in Japan to begin!

I Won A Scholarship!

My trip began with a package in the mail. In early May, I got a package that contained a letter and a YFU tee-shirt. My letter told me that I had received a full scholarship to live in Japan for the summer of 2010 from Kikkoman National Corporation! I am so excited that it is practically all I think about everyday! I really appreciate my soy sauce now.. thanks to Kikkoman and YFU I am going to have the experience of a life time!