Laura's Birthday

Last September 24 was my French roommate's birthday so we went to Aeon Mall and ate at this cozy Italian restaurant. There was a wide array of choices in the buffet table like pasta, pizza, and many more. When it was time to pay, I thought the celebrant would take the bill because that is the usual thing in the Philippines. It is always the celebrant who gives the blow out!

But we ended up dividing the bill among all of us present except for the celebrant. Ahhh, ganun pala. Anyhow, I didn't mind paying for my share plus a small part of the celebrant's share because the meal was so good. I went home so full that I had to vomit nearly half of what I ate upon arriving in AIU. Haha!

My Apartment: One Month Later

It has been a month since I arrived here in Akita, Japan. Being the OC person that I am, I had a lot of fun arranging my things in my 26-square meter double room in the Global Village Apartment. Today, exactly one month since my arrival, the room looks a little different mainly because my roommate is my complete opposite. Let's just say she doesn't care about tidying up her things. Look at the pictures of her side and my side of the room and you will know what I mean. Don't get me wrong, my roommate and I get along in many ways, but her mess is badgering me a bit.

Study Table.

Side Table.

Safe Deposit Box.

Clothes Rack.

Akita: Fall Equinox Day Out

Last September 23, the administrators in AIU organized another bus trip for international students. We went to Senshu Park which was once the castle of Akita's Satake Clan. I have been to the park a week before but I never got the chance to go inside the premises. It was really stunning! We were able to see some historic treasures such as the statue of Yoshiaki Satake.

Plus, we got the chance to enter a sado or tea ceremony room. Near the exit of the park was this pretty lake with the city center as a back drop. After the quick tour, we proceeded to the Masakichi Hirano Museum of Fine Art which is just walking distance from Senshu Park. The museum exhibits masterpieces by the likes of Tsuguji Foujita. This old guy's wall painting entitled "Annual Events in Akita" is the largest painting on canvas in the whole world.

Afterwards, we headed to Akita Citizens Market, which is famous for the fish, Hatahata. I loved how clean and tidy the market was unlike the public markets in the Philippines.

Then the organizers gave us free tickets to watch the BJ League Pre-Season Game at the Akita Prefectural Gym. Who could resist a free ticket that originally costs ¥ 2500 or ₱ 1250?

The AIU administrators prepared bento boxes for all of us, which we ate before the start of the game. The game was between Niigita Albirex BB and Sendai 89ers.

Happo-Cho Exchange Program

The Happo-Cho Program aims to enhance international understanding by providing AIU students with an opportunity to interact with Japanese people, visit Japanese educational sites and experience Japanese culture. We left AIU at 8:00am and arrived at Hachimori Elementary School around 10:00am. The staff offered us some snacks and gave us a brief orientation before the start of the exchange activity with the kids from Grades 1 to 3.

Around 11:30am, the pupils from Grades 4 to 6 entered the gym. After one more hour of cultural interaction, it was time to say goodbye. Some teachers were suprised when Jam and I hugged some of the kids. I guess it's a cultural thing. We left the Hachimori Elementary School at 12:00 noon and went to the Office of Happo-Cho's Board of Education to have lunch. 

After lunch, we had some free time before our next activity so we walked to the beach nearby. The beach facing the Sea of Japan wasn't exactly as beautiful as the ones in the Philippines but I was just glad to see a body of water for the first time since I arrived here in Japan last month. All I have seen so far are mountains, lots and lots of mountains.

After our walk along the beach, we proceeded to a tiny house owned by an old Japanese tofu maker. The old man taught us how to make tofu or bean curd made from coagulating soy milk. He carefully told us the procedures step-by-step. Good thing all the ingredients have been prepared in front of us. After a good 20 minutes, the tofu was ready so we ate what we made. It was really yummy! He also offered us some donuts made from soy dough as well as soy ice cream!

Respect for the Aged Day

Yesterday was Respect for the Aged Day, a school holiday for us. Jam, Mongoljin and I decided to hike to Akita Airport because some people said it is just walking distance from our university. But heck no, it took us an hour to get there!

We got to Akita Airport after sunset. There were some restaurants and cultural knick knacks all over the airport.

Yokote: Hanabi Festival

Last September 14, we went to the town of Yokote to witness the annual Hanabi Festival. Hanabi in Japanese means fireworks. We took a bus to Wada Station at 1:50pm then waited for the connecting train to Jumonji Station at 2:45pm. We finally arrived at Yokote at 4:10pm. Some of the girls wore the traditional yukata to the festival.

There is really nothing much to see in Yokote except for some lovely flowers. For dinner, we bought some food from Lawson's and found a spot in the field as we waited for the Hanabi Festival to officially start. It was a beautiful, albeit, cold night.

The fireworks display started at 7:00pm. It was really stunning!

Around 8:45pm, all 24 of us ran so fast in order to catch the 9:28pm train back to Wada Station. We finally arrived at 11:00pm. We decided to just share a cab because we were all so lazy to walk back to AIU just like we did the week before. Hooray for another great weekend!

Kakunodate: A Festival to Remember

Last September 7, Yu-Nan, a Taiwanese international student, organized a trip to Kakunodate located at the Senboku District of the Akita Prefecture. Kakunodate is a former castle town renowned for its well-preserved samurai houses and that weekend was the town festival. We took a super-sized taxi to Wada Station at 1:00pm. From there, we took a 36-minute train ride to Omagari Station then transferred to one more local train. We got to Kakunodate Station at 3:30pm. Upon arrival, the townspeople were already prepping for the festival. Attractive and colorful floats paraded down the street one after the other. There were lots of street food as well. We tried some yummy takoyaki balls that afternoon! 

We then went inside a samurai house. I loved the traditional tatami mats. Along the street, I saw a tiny shop selling traditional Japanese slippers. Normally, these type of slippers are made out of wood, but the ones on display were actually made of a softer material.

At night, Kakunodate was all lit up. I loved the traditional Japanese lanterns and other festive decorations all over town. We left the festival at 9:14pm by Shinkansen. When we got to Wada Station, we had to walk back to AIU because there was no more bus. It was really fun that all 23 of us hiked together for an hour! What an adventure!

Aeon Shopping Mall

Last Saturday, Jam and I headed to Aeon Shopping Mall. We arrived 20 minutes earlier than the opening time, hence a bunch of us had to wait near the entrance. Since it was our first weekend in Akita, we wanted to shop for school supplies. We were thrilled to be the first set of customers to enter the mall that day. The mall was still spotless at 10:00am. 

I do not really fancy Japanese fashion because I think it only suits thin girls, but still, Jam and I went inside the department stores to see what's on sale. Everything was so expensive. I guess this is a blessing in disguise because this means that I can't shop that much here in Japan.

Futsal Girls Team Party

Hooray for weekends! Last September 5 was our first official weekend since the Fall Semester started. That day, some Japanese girls from the Futsal Team invited us for a little get-together at Akita Central Park just across the university.

Matriculation Ceremony

Last September 1 was the first official school day for the Fall Semester in Akita International University. That same day, a small Matriculation Ceremony was organized by the Administration Office. At first, I didn't really have any idea what was the ceremony all about. All students were just told to dress up in formal attire and show up in the auditorium at 11:00am. Basically the ceremony was all about long speeches and lots of bowing here and there. Haha! We were really bored throughout the two-hour ceremony so we entertained ourselves by cam-whoring.