The 1st Weekend

This weekend was packed with tons of new and interesting things! From food to exploring, take a look at what went on…

Gyoza

On Saturday I made gyoza with Okaa-san who is the master machine at pumping out these little suckers. Seriously, for each one I fumbled together she had three beautiful potstickers assembled. No real pictures b/c they were too ugly. (actually my hands were too dirty to take pics) Okaa-san was really intrigued when I told her that some of my Chinese friends use egg to seal the wrappers instead of water. Now whenever the topic of gyoza comes up she mentions it.

This is what they're suppose to look like... pic from google

Liar Game Movie

On Sunday I went to watch the Liar Game movie with Elizabeth in Kinshicho. Going to the movies here a bit different from what I’m use to. First off, tickets are expensive - 1800 yen, which is about $19! Fortunately for us, for this we can get "cultural activity reimbursement" through CIEE. Yay! When you buy your ticket you also get to choose your seat. This way you don’t have wait in line forever to for a good seat (Ben Lui!!). There is a certain time everyone enters the theater and then the previews start about 10 minutes after that. During the movie everyone was very quiet (despite a packed theater) even during the funny parts! (There was some muffled laughter..) The loudest non-movie noise was definitely my coughing. After it ended, there were people outside to take your trash and sort it into burnable, plastic, ect.

The movie itself was fun to watch. I was able to get the general gist but not the itty bitty details. Overall, it was a typical Liar Game set-up with people owning each other and then Akiyama (with Nao) owning in the end. The interesting thing about these games is that there are rules but you can do a lot of outside-of-the-box thinking to twist the circumstances to your advantage. Waa… it’s a really interesting concept and I can’t wait for subs to come out when the DVD is released. In the meantime, if you’re interested there are 2 seasons of Liar Game staring Matsuda Shota (Hana Yori Dango) and Toda Erika (Code Blue, Ryusei no Kizuna) – go watch it!

In front of the poster!!

UFO Catcher - First Catch!

After the movie we went down to the arcade to try the infamous UFO catchers! They are like the crane game machines but here they are actually win-able! Check out this crazy mom:

What the PRO?

Using her as inspiration, we tried to formulate strategies for knocking over plushies and nabbing plastic hooks. After a few failed attempts, we managed to get a cute plastic pig figure!

Something from Monster Hunter? Mask because I was coughing.

The cool thing is that if you win / mess up really bad, the workers will come and rearrange everything back to normal. Sure enough, after we won it only took a few minutes for the prizes to magically reset.

Pizza

Sunday night the family ordered Japanese style Pizzahut pizzas! Much more expensive than in the states but way more interesting. (A Medium averages $20 while Large can reach $30+) This is what we ate:

They got 2 mediums half-n-half

Ingredients of interest: edamame, potato, bulgogi, shrimp, egg, mayonnaise (kyuupi)

The Japanese mascot of Pizzahut is... Cheese-kun!!

Cheese-kun and Frankie before I left... they're still at home. ;_;

Ueno

Yesterday we had a Tokyo “scavenger hunt” where we went around to various big name places (Akihabara, Tokyo Dome, Ikebukuro, Harajuku, Shibuya, ect…) to take pictures / collect things. We were given a day pass for a large area covered by the JR train system so afterwards Elizabeth, Anna, and I headed over to Ueno to see the cherry blossoms (sakura).

They were sooo pretty and the trees ranged from white to dark pink.  There were also a lot of food stands so we decided grab a bite…

Takoyaki and sweet potato fries!

Very yummy and enjoyable but the weather got super cold!

~~~

Tomorrow I’m going to Kamakura on a CIEE mini-excursion!  Mika (older sister) said it’s like a Little Kyoto.  Should be interesting…

Home! 日本の家族

Moved in with my host family yesterday. It was very nerve wrecking for just about everyone meeting their family. They called us in to a room in small groups, matched us up, and left us to talk. Tons of anticipation and excitement! I am living with a widowed mother, her daughter, and newborn granddaughter (2 months)! The area is Takasago, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo (Somewhere in Katsushika is where Nino of Arashi is from!). It has been pretty cold here plus the past two days were also very rainy. The cool thing is that the floor in the dining room is heated so your feet are able to stay warm. Okaa-san also gave me a hot thermos bottle that kept my bed warm the entire night! It's still a little warm now - 18 hours later.

Today I went to a nearby mall with my "older sister" Mika. It was a nice walk through the neighborhood and the mall itself is huge! I thought it was funny that one of the clothing stores was blasting English contemporary Christian music. There is a ton of food and a variety of stores so I will definitely be back when I have free time. One of the upper floors has a movie theater so if anything exciting comes out I can go watch it (Liar Game? Ironman 2?).

I get unlimited texting on my phone so you can "text" me through email at kendow@softbank.ne.jp

                          Desk                                      Bunny in bed next to the warming pouch

Good-bye America... for now

I’m leaving for Japan in the morning!! My suitcase is a whopping 47 lbs – just under the 50 lbs limit! Before I go I want to share a snippet of my new and improved keyboard…

Wahh… love it! Next time you hear from me I’ll be in Japan! Orientation will be for 2 weeks then classes start in April. See you guys later!

GDC 2010 - Continuity

There were a ton of cool things at this year’s Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco. I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to go – it coincided with my time at home after LA and before Japan, and I got a free pass! While I could ramble on and on about the different things I saw, I'll instead leave you guys with a neat game that I played there. “Continuity” is a cleverly designed puzzle-platformer where you have to move around tiles in order to navigate through a series of mazes. This game was also the winner of the GDC Independent Games Festival for Best Student Game so congratulations to the developing team!

Play Continuity!

I love the simplicity of this concept. It is like a combination of a sliding jigsaw puzzle (the ones with 1 piece missing) and a majorly toned down Mario game. The tile moving is simple because you do not have to arrange a whole lot at a single time. Everything is very polished and the level design is very clever. Even though there are 31 levels, they vary enough to remain interesting and challenging. New concepts are also intuitively introduced so you get the hang of things pretty quickly.

One of my favorite parts about this game is the music. When you are zoomed out on the tile arranging screen, a soothing piano/bell track plays with a subtle, muted rhythm track in the background. When you zoom in on your character the soft, background track comes forward and blasts this epic, almost-techno-like piece. It makes me feel like I’m on a quest to save the world even though I’m just this little bathroom sign character collecting keys to unlock doors. The music tracks transition seamlessly and they really add something special on top of the simple controls and graphics.

One note: the maze tiles must match up EXACTLY on the side that you are trying to connect. This can be frustrating at first because something that seems to make sense may not actually work. But I don’t think this is a big problem because it narrows down the possibilities and helps you to hone in on the right path to take.

Have fun!

Bunny - Okay!

We had some pet drama the other day that involved our dog and rabbit. The rabbit room is normally fenced off to prevent the dog from messing with her, but this time the dog managed to get through the kitchen gate and knock down a second gate to get through. Once through the gates, dog can easily get through the fences around the rabbit cage (because they are made to keep bunny in and not dog out). According to my younger brother, dog was ready to pounce on bunny and a minute later things would have turned ugly. Thankfully, my brother was able to save bunny right before dog could maul it. In an act of heroism, he picked up dog (who was probably all worked up) and tossed him into another room. 

Bunny, however, was in some serious shock. We took her straight to the vet where they gave her some shots and put her in an oxygen enhanced box. The vet told us that rabbits are highly sensitive to stress, and even something minor such as a barking dog or drawing a blood sample could stress a rabbit, literally, to death. When we left the vet we did not know if bunny would make it – she was not really moving and her color was still bad. We decided to let her stay the night at the vet because we did not want to risk her becoming more stressed from transportation. It was strange to imagine that bunny could be alive one day and dead the next. Thankfully, the vet called today and said that bunny was moving, eating, drinking, and, my favorite, pooping so we were able to take her home.

I think it is easy to throw blame on the dog or even a person for all of this happening, but one thing that kept me calm was not dwelling on the “could” or “should” have’s. Dog is dog and we can’t change his instincts. What one person did or did not do also cannot be changed so we can only look forward and do our best in the present. I’m glad bunny is okay – this incident has made me appreciate her more.

Crazy Airport Adventure

I’ve had close calls at airports before, but yesterday ranked up there in terms of crazy. I got off to leaving USC about half an hour later than planned because of eating, saying goodbyes, and construction.  We were on the road around 2 for my 2:50 flight. Getting to the airport was a breeze in the carpool lane. Even checking in my massive box and suitcase went quickly (although I did get the flashy “late” tags). At 2:30 I was about to enter the line for security when, patting down my butt pockets, I horribly discovered I still had Ben’s dining dollar stacked USC ID card. Phone calls later I decided I could not wait for my friends to drive back, so I handed the card to a lugged check-in lady and made a dash for security. I got directed to a short line (only 2 people ahead of me!) but in my wild rush, I forgot to take my laptop out of my bag. An officer had to take my stuff through the conveyor again, this time behind a large stroller that was practically squeezed through the machine. Time was ticking down. I slipped on my shoes and got ready to book it. Laptop and bag cleared, I sprinted to my gate and slipped on the airplane as the last person to board. 2:48 was a little too close, but I made it. Sadly, my A24 priority seating (for you non-Southwest travelers, I would be 24th to board and 24th to choose a seat) got shafted but at least my luggage and I managed to make it home together.

 Franky was not part of my original haul of luggage.

Bye LA! Final Reflections

My “vacation” time in LA is finally coming to an end. While I am sad to leave my friends (especially graduating seniors and Stalcup!) I know that I have a whole new adventure ahead of me in Japan. As I am packing up my stuff from Lorena and Gaby’s room, I cannot help but think back to the things that I was able to experience this past semester. I am grateful for my family and friends for allowing me to be here during this limbo time. It was hard for me at first to figure out what exactly I was doing here and to even accept help when my pride told me I didn’t need it (sorry Regina!).

Thank you everyone who has provided me with something, whether it was food, shelter, friendship, prayer, fun times… the list goes on. I had a blast here and I am excited to return again in the fall.

Study Abroad Background

I’m sorry I was not able to really share this at the surprise on Saturday. But I think that it would be nice to share with everyone that is supporting me. Coming into college I thought that I would never study abroad. The idea did not appeal to me. One of my main goals, though, was to take Japanese language classes because over my high school years I became more and more interested in my culture. As I studied more and more Japanese, the thought of studying abroad crept into my head. I played with the idea and started to consider if it was actually something for me after all.

During the summer after my freshman year at USC I worked as a day camp counselor in San Mateo and through that met a Japanese girl, Juri, who was doing a homestay in the US. Although her English was not perfect and my Japanese was equivalent to a 4-year-old, we became good friends. My last day of work was difficult mainly because it was our last time to hang out together. We were able to exchange mail addresses and I told her that I was considering studying in Japan in a few years. Her eyes lit up and I became determined to find her in Japan one day. Since then I have sent her letters but have never gotten a reply. She is still on my heart and I am planning on going to visit her home during my time in Japan.

Sophmore year I decided to declare a second major in East Asian Languages in Cultures. This was mostly for motivation to continue courses in Japanese, although it is also small major and aligns perfectly with studying in Japan. By this point, I was pretty convinced that I wanted to study abroad. Everything about it fit nicely and it was one of those things that just made sense to me. That is, until I brought God into the picture. Being involved in InterVarsity TCF, I knew how it felt when people invest time, energy, and love into and then move away. Conflict within me did not arise until it was the season of discernment for leadership decisions with TCF. Study abroad was the biggest concern and block I had in saying either a “yes” or “no” to leadership. Both paths had their pros and cons, but I was so torn that I actually avoided talking to Steve about my final decision and ran off to spring break without a word. Spring break was torturous because leadership and study abroad were on my mind, and I was afraid that God wanted to take study abroad away from me. Through many conversations and time with God, I finally (on the night of our first meeting) decided to step into leadership not knowing what the implications would be for my plans for Japan.

By the time Summer Conference for TCF rolled around, it was time to start discerning whether I should study abroad or not. I really expected God to make it clearly obvious to me, like with some crazy laser light or persistent Bible passage. But that never happened. In fact, I was still very confused. Some people were extremely for me going and some people were extremely against it. After many conversations, I remember getting some wisdom from Elizabeth Isenberg. She told me that I was not a kid anymore, and that God treat adults like adults. There are times when God puts a calling on our hearts and there are also times where God lets us choose the path we want to take. While I was looking to God for a clear GO or STAY, God was telling me to choose and reminded me that He would be with me in whatever decision I made. That piece of wisdom put me at much peace and I decided to follow the desire of my heart and applied for the program.

Now, this desire was not just a “I want to go to Japan because it’s fuuuuuuun and there’s a lot of yummy food and cute J-pop boys!” desire. Since freshmen year I just felt that I wanted to go even though I didn’t really want to, and after meeting Juri that feeling increased. I think this was God placing Japan on my heart, and after watching the sneak peak of Jaeson Ma’s “1040” documentary about Christianity in Asia, and going to Urbana to learn about God’s mission in the world, I was convinced that this was what God wanted me to be doing this semester.

I feel super encouraged by having friends that are going to the same program as me as well as the support and encouragement of my Christian community. The point where I am now – leaving LA to go home and then shortly departing for Japan – has not been a breeze to get to but I know God is going to take care of what I am leaving behind in the US. I still have my own insecurities about going, one of them being my identity as a 4th/5th generation Japanese American and having to endure some racial bias, but I know that God has made me exactly as I am and will be with me wherever I go. Thank you everyone for all of your encouragement along the way.

Final Thoughts

So… for some practicals, I am leaving LA to go back to Northern California tomorrow afternoon (Tues 3/9). I am leaving for Japan March 22 and will be coming back August 5. The school I will be studying at is Sophia University (上智大学 Jyouchi Daigaku) in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo. I will be staying with a host family but I will not find out where that is until I arrive. Studying… I will be taking a Japanese language class as well as some Japanese culture classes. They will translate to 16 units for my EALC major and… well… don’t get mad but they are all pass/no pass. I also hope to check out OMF (Overseas Missionary Fellowship) in Japan and maybe getting involved there in some way.

I would love to write to you during my stay, so be sure to tell me your address if you want a letter! I will also be updating this blog with pictures and thoughts during my travels. Thanks all and congratulations to all of you who are graduating!