Dorm

The post is about my dorm room.
It is not exactly small but pretty close.
My Lan cable is longer than my room.

Also, apparently a typhoon is getting ready to hit Tokyo. I have never been in a typhoon before. No one is really worried though. Or maybe I should say panicing. I mean the worst thing that is happening is that I can't really leave the dorm now and class may be cancelled tomorrow.

Tokyo: Elementary School

Yesterday, I went to an Elementary school to see a part of how the education system works in Japan. The program CIEE set it up. The day started real early since the school we went to is somewhat far away from the main drag of Tokyo. The area looked like a country-side town with only the one train line that ran at the edge. Sort of like the setting of Persona 4.
The school itself was a good size, with 700 students 1st grade to 6th grade. There is only 15 of us in the group and we were each assigned a class. I got 6-3. When we got to the school we found name tags made by are assign class, then the principle gave us a tour. Showing us each grade, the gym, and the music room. The class rooms only had three walls. After that, there was a ceremony in the gym celebrating are arrival with songs, speeches and a traditional drum routine. The drum part was loud but very cool.
A kid from each then came and lead us by the hand to their class. We then had lunch. The children take turn preparing lunch and serving it to the other children. A practice to teach the children how to think of others, to be a part of the community. They all clean up afterwards in a efficient and practice manner then they cleaned the classroom itself. This is also "practice" for being part of the community, I don't know how though. When I asked one of the mothers she said she never thought to ask why. After clean up is recess in which I played a game with the boys that was a mix between dodgeball and catch. There are no winners or losers just running around after the ball.
When recess ended I taught the class how to play hanged man in english. I wrote the english alphabet on the board as a hint, I guess. They had trouble efficiently figure out the word not knowing the basic rules of english like guessing vowels first and staying away from "v", "w", "z" because they hardly show up. However, the teacher of the class would run in to add another hanging post, show the kids would have more chances. It was very funny and cute. The class it self was also very lively. My game was followed by some Japanese games like the face game played on new years. Blindfolded the child tried to place the face features correctly on the face as the group gives advice, shouting up, down, right, left. Another game was like duck-duck-goose. The class sits in a circle, one child holds a handkerchief while running a round the circle drops in behind child B. Child B notices the handkerchief picks it up and tries to tag Child A while Child A runs for Child B's spot. On the other hand if Child B does not notice the handkerchief Child A can try to tag Child B. Whoever gets tag goes to the center of the circle till someone else gets tag. If no one gets tag then Child B has the handkerchief to drop behind someone else. The games were fun.
The whole experience was interesting and fun. I am glad that I went.
Sorry no photos.     

Tokyo Game Show of 2012

At the end of this week, Tokyo held the 2012 Game Show and I went.

BAM!

The Game Show was awesome. Level 5, Sega, Capcom, Dengeki, Bandai Namco, Konami, Square Enix, etc. There was no Atlus booth, so that was disappointing. The huge playstation booth made up for it a little. Only a little. 

Some games I knew of before hand and others I didn't. It was totally a lot of fun.  

There was cosplay, too. Lots of it. Some fans and some were booth babes.

Most of my blog was media instead of writing. Sorry if it is a little boring. But I had so much fun, and it was an experience I could only do in Japan. So I added it to my blog.
I brought home a lot of swag, too. No images of that though, you just have to wait for the games that are going to come out.

Tokyo: Day 2

My study abroad in Japan is through a program called CIEE. I don't remember what the letters stand for. The program has orientation for two weeks. The orientation consists of the basic run-down of living in Japan. One of which is to visit a safety center to discuss what to do during a huge earthquake. Obviously, specifically thinking about the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. The safety center sort of looks like a secret justice league base.   

You can't see it in the picture but there are also suspicious metal looking satellites. Essentially, the group was to run drills for earthquakes, fires, tsunamis, etc. The only one I have video of is the earthquake drill. It was pretty fun. 

  

The fire drill, was also quite interesting. They had simulated smoke and a fake building layout where you had to get out by keeping low and shutting all the doors to keep the "fire" spreading. If you left a door open or popped your above the smoke line you "died". There was also the storm simulation had real water, too.   

They even had a poster of Shin-chan explaining what to do in an emergency. It's cute, right?

Then there was lunch, it was a normal buffet but there were two cool things.

First, the melon soda which is neon and the cute little baskey for your bag or purse. 

In the group there was some people from areas not use to earthquakes but no one screamed. Just an FYI

P.S

There is one thing I noticed before I crashed at the hotel wich I forgot to mention.
The Cicadas.
The Japanese cicadas are really load in Japan.

So here is video: The Load Cicadas of Tokyo.

Airport: Narita, Tokyo

This is the first post of Japan. (Sorry for being late.) Thus I give my first photo of Japan.


It is a fire alarm. Underneath is a fire house.
I took the picture, because I had been playing Persona 4 the night before. In the game, Rise-chan is found on the first floor of the school staring at the fire alarm. Thinking about pushing it.
And I as took the picture, high on endorphins expecting to crash the moment I got to the hotel, thought this was my first real experience of Japan. A funny look box with Kanji I couldn't read.



Now about the actual airport. I got of the airplane and headed down a long passage way with quotations from the bamboo princess story. Completely unaware of the mess-of-security and customs that Japan called an airport.

The welcome sigh as you descended into security was adorable and totally puts you off your guard.

First, security and customs are two separate stations. So you get through security, get your baggage, then go through customs. The whole process can take at least an hour depending on the traffic.

Second, once through the customs getting a ride into Tokyo can also be a challenge. There are buses, taxis, and trains. The bus cost 3000 yen (about $38), the taxi $150, and the train 1200 yen (about $16). However, getting tickets for the bus can be tough because their often full and the train are nothing but cans of sardins. Finally, if you are hungry or thirsty and want something before enter Tokyo (takes about 70min.) there is a mall up stairs. Yes, a mall! For something fast. . . lots and lots of vending machines. 

Where you insert the coins. Cool, right?

I get to the hotel, at 7:30. Then crash. 

Ending my prologue of studying abroad.