Halfway done but still going strong!

I have LOTS to blog about concerning the last two weekends. I should be studying for my Korean Social Welfare midterm in three days...

So, JAPAN! We left from Gimpo Airport and arrived at Kansai International at approximately 10:30 AM. After a bus ride and delicious shellfish free bento we arrived at the Golden Pavilion, which is really gold.

I bought charms for my parental units, my language exchange partner, and of course myself. Hehe. The next stop was Nijo Castle, home of Tokugawa Ieyasu. It was pretty sweet. I couldn't stop thinking of Rurouni Kenshin (for those anime fans out there).

Next stop, the hotel and meeting my Technos buddy! Thankfully everything went according to plan and I met up with her and her roommate. I decided that I wanted to see the Gion district to possibly see a modern day geisha, and this worked out well since they were meeting friends there. I wanted something really Japanese so they took me to a sushi conveyor belt place that was all sorts of delicious.

While waiting for her friends to show up we chatted about life, studying abroad, memories of our first time in Japan...good times, good times. When we did find her friends they were a tad intimidating but overall pretty cool people. After finding them food we chilled on the riverside. One of the best things about Japan is the fact that there are so many rivers to chill on! I unfortunately had to leave (early start the next day) but I loved being able to see her again, back in Japan! Joelle, whenever you are in the Midwest, facebook me so we can go sushi hunting!

The next day was dedicated to the purpose of the CIEE excursion - the Korean diaspora. First on the agenda, though, was a walking tour of Kyoto, which in reality meant visiting various temples and shrines. We managed to observe a traditional wedding!

At Osaka we took a tour of Korea Town, where of course the largest concentration of Koreans in Japan can be found. Meat, kimchi, and various Korea foods could be smelt all around. I suppose I should say something meaningful here about what I learned...the number of Koreans is decreasing thanks to interracial marriages and those kids identifying themselves as Japanese. Since Koreans in Japan are third or fourth generation the language nor culture is not being passed down as much in favor of assimilating into Japanese culture. However, with the hallyu wave of Korean pop culture sweeping Asia I think more ethnic Koreans are taking pride in their heritage.

At night we were left to explore Osaka. Friends and I went to eat non-deadly okonomiyaki and of course go shopping. I ended up buying more Engrish shirts to add to my growing collection. I can't wait to wear them around IWU, hehe.

Sunday we left for the ancient capital of Japan, Nara, now the deer capital. No joke. Deer EVERYWHERE. We went to Todaiji Temple (largest wooden one in Japan) and Nara National Museum. We ate a delicious traditional lunch and returned early to spend our free time around Osaka. I bought legit clothing, surprisingly enough, and an art book for my 姉, which resulted in all my yen being totally spent!

For our final day in Japan, we went to see Osaka Castle, home of Hideyoshi Toyotomi. This was the dude who decided to invade Korea in order to prove his manhood or something. Yay Japanese history!

We then had to go to the airport. :( I loved being in Japan. I could actually communicate with people! But ultimately I am glad that I chose to study abroad in Korea - the food's cheap, my classes actually apply to my major, and I have met some pretty awesome people!

Back to routine. The week before midterms was full of people asking teachers for breaks and less homework. I had to work on a presentation for my Intercultural Communication class about Social Identity theory with a friend. I think we did fine - the class didn't seem too bored! Wednesday night I went to N Seoul Tower with my language exchange partner, adding to my list of towers that I have visited around the world (Tokyo Tower, Eiffel Tower, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Sears Tower). At the bottom was this ADORABLE teddy bear museum and the view at the top was excellent. I could see Seoul in all its sparkling glory! Anyone recognize the 궁 bears?

What did I do after that...oh yeah, I basically studied the entire weekend, with generous breaks for a traditional music concert, watching One Piece, and a 노래방 jam session with people I should hang out with more often. Today I had my Intercultural Communication midterm - I think I knew everything on there, but the extent to which I knew those things is to be determined by the professor. We'll see! Well, this turned out to be a picture post more than anything - I'll update Facebook with photos come December. XD More blogging after midterms!