Culture Shock and Awe

Breakfast in a new home! The food was delicious (rice, hash browns!, and a soup that I didn't understand) and the TV was always playing crazy Japanese TV shows.  After breakfast, Mamasan joined me for a short walk to the bus station, and escorted me onto the number 1 bus and showed me how to get to HIF.  It's incredibly simple- I get on the bus at the main station, and arrive withing 4 minutes of the HIF building.  Overall it's a longish bus ride ~30-40 minutes, but it was very relaxing and fun to talk to mama-san! 

After we got to the building and she made sure I knew everything I needed to know (including giving me written instructions) I headed off to school!  School went fast and it was over all a very good day, because afterwards was the first of the culture classes!  One of the main reasons why HIF was so appealing to me was the because of the prospect of culture classes.  You can sign up for as many as you want, they are about 2 hours long, and they teach you about Japanese culture one item at a time.  Although its going to take a lot of time, I am doing every single culture class.  Thus I'm going to get a taste of everything from Calligraphy to kimono culture to flower arrangement to Kyudo (Japanese archery)!

First I went to a Koto concert, which is a traditional Japanese instrument much like a harp but laid on its side and much more Japanese sounding.  The frets all move around and she played everything from really cool classic Japanese songs to "Yesterday" by the Beatles.

Next I walked to one of the sensei's houses to go practice/learn about pottery!  The house was sort of far away, so of course I got lost.  But I couldn't have gotten lost in a prettier place, and after a quick phone call I found my way!

Playing with clay was really fun, and I think the bowl I made will turn out nicely...but I won't know until my next pottery class when we fire and glaze them.  The bus ride home was just as easy as the morning bus ride, but this one was filled with Japanese school girls wearing their uniforms and old ladies. It was fun to eavesdrop and catch words every once and a while.

Dinner was delicious, but is much different than dinners that I'm used to.  The host family realized that I was looking for challenges with food, and so tonights dinner was shrimp head soup, squid sashimi, rice, eggplant, and a slimy gelatinous seaweed dish the name of which I don't remember.  The dinner was actually delicious, and I realized that when I come home from this trip I am going to be a fearless eater, but also the king of charades (from all the words I don't know in Japanese that I have to mime!)

After dinner we went to the grocery store to go buy supplies.  Apparently there's a small party tomorrow at our house?  I don't know the occasion (I couldn't understand. go figure), but whatever it is: I'm in! It sounds like I'm going to help make this delicious dish which has something to do with chocolate, cheese, and possibly octopus.  But that last one could have been a translation problem on my end.

Finally, I didn't feel like writing down the humorous misunderstandings I've had so far, so instead I made a video.  

High:Watching TV with my host family and trying to figure out what the strange people on the TV were doing!

Low:  I can't think of one.

Hero: Mama-san! For taking me all the way to HIF and teaching me the route!