USA Summer Camp 2007 - Kirsten
Konnichiwa! I am in Japan teaching English!

First Homestay
Maebashi, Japan
Konnichiwa! This is the first time I've been able to access the internet and my other travel blog won't work so I started a new one. I've been in Japan for amost 3 weeks and I love it! Right now I'm in Maebashi, Gunma, about a 2 hour train ride NW from Tokyo station.
Japanese culture is very different. I shower with about 20 other girls at a time and I get to soak in a community hot tub afterwards. I kind of like it. I change my shoes about 50 times a day since I have special indoor and outdoor shoes, and in some places I'm not allowed to wear shoes. The kids here are really pampered and are not disciplined at all, so it's tough trying to work with them and live with them. I accidently made a 200 dollar phone call because I couldn't understand Japanese and when trying to order dinner I accidently ordered 4 cokes. A lot of people know basic English which helps, but it doesn't get me very far. Not all places in Japan have western style toilets. Instead they have what we call "squatty potties", little tub things in the ground that you squat over. I actually got the hang of it because I had to, but I would never choose to own one.
I flew into Narita after about 17 hours on the plane. It was 2:30pm in Japan and we were instantly put to work and had to be up the next morning at 6am to start our day. They gave us 40 minutes as "jet lag recovery time" 3 days after we arrived. The food is good most of the time. I accidently ate octopus and squid, and I know why foreigners hate natto. Some days I live on rice, but the camp facilities so far have had a fairly good variety. So far I've had three of my nine camps. When the kids are with us we are up and working with them for 15 hours a day and then we have meetings and a few hours to sleep before doing it all over again. So far the kids have been really fun and I'm learning a lot from them, but a lot of them could care less about learning English. Kids in Japan go to school 6 days a week and only have a few weeks off in summer for a break, so when they aren't in school they are allowed to act however they want. The girls aren't as much of a problem as the boys, yet it seems that most of the teenage boys are really shy while the girls are outgoing. And high school kids who are dating won't talk or look at each other when they are in social settings. It's definitely the opposite of the U.S. The facilities we've been at for camps so far have been nice but are usually situated on a mountain in the middle of nowhere. We've been able to see Mount Fuji from all our camps so far, but if you go to see it any later than 5am the clouds begin to cover the top. We've taken a few trips into different cities, and at one facility I walked down the mountain to go into Yamanashi. The walk back up the mountain wasn't as easy. I went the the 4th station on Mount Fuji but didn't climb it. I'm hoping to be able to during one of my homestays. One of our American Counselors went back home because she was extremely sick, so it was sad to lose her but she is doing better. She had heat stroke and altitude sickness from being so high up in the mountains.
The candy in Japan is awesome. I tried lavender ice cream and it was wonderful. There's also these crepe stands everywhere that make amazing crepes. Japan has vending machines for everything in the world and they are everywhere. I tried green tea from one and it tasted like lake water, but Qoo apple juice is the best I've ever had. They also have these drinks that are part jello part juice and you shake it up and eat/drink it. They taste good but are weird. We had the night before our first homestay off, so a bunch of us went to sing karaoke in Gotenba. I didn't get a chance to play pachinko yet, but I will.
It's my second day at my first homestay. My family is really nice and they have hosted other ACs from this camp before so they understand why I am so tired. Tonight they made me pizza which was amazing and I went grocery shopping with them. Later this week I am going to one of the kid's school lunch picnic, so that will be fun. A typhoon is coming so it's been really rainy and I might not have a chance to go outside and explore much, but I know I will during my next two stays when I'm in Tokyo. Tokyo station is absolutely crazy and there is no way I'm going to find my way around it when I go back next week. Hopefully there is a map.
written by  Kirsten on July 14, 2007 from Maebashi, Japan
from the travel blog: USA Summer Camp 2007

4 days until Nagano
Maebashi, Japan
I woke up this morning to sun and humidity and was glad the typhoon was over. I fell back asleep and was woken again by an earthquake. I have never been in an earthquake. It was kind of scary and kind of cool. Luckily we only got one big hit, but west of us had a lot of damage and a few deaths that were known when I last watched the news. I guess there hasn't been an earthquake in 2 years, so I am lucky to experience a typhoon and earthquake in 2 days. My next camp is in Nagano which is where a lot of damage was done, so we'll see what happens. I'm about half way through my homestay and it's going by quickly. My family is so nice and today we went to an indoor swimming pool that was like a mini noah's ark and only cost 300 yen/person (just under 3 dollars). Afterwards we went to a sushi restaurant that had a conveyor belt of all kinds of sushi and you just grabbed whatever you wanted. There were no sushi rolls, just chunks of raw fish or fish eggs on top of a pile of rice. I ate the shrimp with avacado and onions and it was really good. And its only 100 yen per plate which is awesome. Tomorrow I get to go to one of the kid's school picnic lunches. I'm looking forward to it. Last night my host mom's parents came over to visit and it was a lot of fun. They don't know much English so it was a bit of a struggle to talk, but we understood one another. They were very modern which kind of surprised me. I felt like I was with my family. I really miss cheese and easily accessible soda.
written by  Kirsten on July 16, 2007 from Maebashi, Japan
from the travel blog: USA Summer Camp 2007

its cold!
Maebashi, Japan
I woke up this morning to an empty house, only to find that 6 year old was at the doctor because she has the mumps. She came home and went to sleep and my host mom and I went to the 3 year old's school picnic lunch. He wasnt very active and when we started to eat he wouldnt stop crying so we took him home only to find he also has the mumps. My host dad, who is a doctor, has to leave tomorrow for 4 days in Niigata where there is a lot of damage from the earthquake and they need medical help. So that leaves me to help my host mom who has to take care of three kids, two of which are sick and cranky. I'm never having kids. Good thing I had my mmr booster before I came here. I was hoping to be able to leave the house to explore, but without my host dad around I'm sure my host mom will need lots of help. I'm wishing I was out exploring Japan instead of babysitting, but hopefully my other homestays will take me to do stuff. And I know my host mom needs the help. Besides that, the picnic was fun. It was at a school where they teach the kids english, so I was able to talk with the teachers. I drank a mountain dew for the first time since i've been here and it was absolutely amazing. I'd better not get the mumps.
written by  Kirsten on July 17, 2007 from Maebashi, Japan
from the travel blog: USA Summer Camp 2007

first homestay
The kids have the mumps so they can't go to school so I've been helping take care of them. They are all sick, yet wild and loud as ever. The good news is my host father doesn't have to go to Niigata until Friday now, but he still works long days at the hospital. I'm starting to get frustrated with not being able to explore, so I took an hour walk around the city. I found a temple near the house. It was full of white oragami chains that are used to heal any illness by touching it to your place of pain. I also found some pachinko parlors, one of which is right across from our house. The roads in Japan don't have names and a lot of them are just wide enough to fit one vehicle, so if two are sharing the road one has to pull into a driveway or off to the side and let the other through. They also drive on the opposite side of the street here, so it's confusing which way to look for oncoming traffic when crossing the road. I love the candy here. For some reason kit kats are really popular and they make them in tons of different flavors, like melon or kiwi. I haven't tried one yet but I will. They also have this gum called "black black" that has niccotine, caffeine, and codeine in it. On my walk I also found a vending machine with pepsi and mountain dew right by my house, so at least I'll have caffeine for my next couple days of babysitting.

last day in maebashi
Today was my last day with my host family. I was able to go to the elementary school and watch for a bit. They work a lot harder here than in the U.S. Today was their last day of school before their 4 weeks of summer break, and they have a ton of homework to do over summer. School never ends for these kids! I went to the mall with my host mom and the son and it was a lot of fun. I got starbucks which was great and we played in the arcade. I of course played the giant sized taiko drum master since I am so good at the little one and it was a bit more challenging considering I couldn't read any of the Japanese. We also went into a grocery store where fruit is sooo expensive. A melon can cost anywhere from $30-100 American dollars, and the peaches were about $6 a piece. I also went to a movie theater since I was interested in seeing the differences between Japan and the U.S. and I also want to see some Japanese films while I'm here. An adult ticket costs 1800 yen, about $16. Outrageous. Even the kids tickets are 1000 yen. I didn't go past the lobby, but the theater looked nice. I'm planing on seeing some Japanese indie films when I'm in Tokyo. We ordered lunch at the food court and I had a beef and rice dish that was incredible. I was even happier to find that the woman taking my order spoke perfect English. It's nice saying "thank you" and having the other person understand you. Later in the afternoon I went for a walk around Maebashi and found some neat and unusual stores. A lot of comic book and anime shops. My host mom made pizza for dinner and it was awesome. I will miss this family!

Homestay 2!
Roppongi, Japan
Im at my second homestay and this computer is all in Japanese so this will not be grammatically correct because I cant find most of the necessary punctuation marks. I am in Roppongi and a block from Tokyo transit so I can easily travel Tokyo. My family has a 4 story house that is in the center of the city and only blocks from the area where the Tokyo film festival is held, so there are lots of theaters and music/movie places. Theres also coffee shops everywhere. I guess this is a ritzy part of Tokyo. There is a porsche dealer across the street and everyone has tons of money. My host mom keeps giving me champaigne and taking me out to parties with her various clubs and organizations. The kids are gone at camps so I only get to see each of them for about half a day, but the 9 year old girl is really sweet. I still havent met the 6 year old. There is a wii in my room and a bunch of Japanese films for me to watch. I had lunch today with the girl who was staying with this family for three weeks before I arrived and we went to Shibuya together. She is from Canada so I was able to speak English with someone who understood what I was saying. It was lots of fun. I will write more tomorrow. I have to go drink organic cocktails with the tai bo club. Yum!
written by  Kirsten on July 26, 2007 from Roppongi, Japan

Tokyo
Roppongi, Japan
Yesterday both kids were gone so my host mom took me to a TV station. I guess all the TV stations in Tokyo have big festivals during this week, so that was fun. We went to Fuji TV station located on Tokyo Bay and we could see the ocean. Afterwards my mom wanted to go to the hot springs, so we went to the nicest hot springs spa in Tokyo. I got to pick which kimono I wanted to wear and any color sash to go with it. The building was built like a traditional Japanese temple and the inside had tons of lanterns. The springs were really relaxing and one of the pools was infused with silk. We stayed there for about 2 hours, then my host mom decided to go to Tokyo Disney, so we went there and stayed until close. Space mountain wasnt running so I was a little sad, but we were able to go on lots of other rides and see the parade. Half of the songs/dialogue was in Japanese and half in English which was strange but at least I was able to understand what was happening for the most part. It was expensive but lots of fun.
written by  Kirsten on July 27, 2007 from Roppongi, Japan

I may not come home
Tokyo, Japan
Such adventures! I went out to Shibuya shopping at 1 and bought a sweater. Of course it was on clearance because an average sweater in Tokyo would cost me about 150 bucks. My host mom was at a conference so I met her at 5. We went to dinner with a bunch of businessmen from Japan and Hong Kong. The restaurant was really nice and very traditional. Dinner was great. We had hibachi on a little burner on our table and I ate eel and clam and lots of raw tuna. Raw fish goes down like rice now. I was surprised how much they drink. Every time I turned my back my glass of beer was full. They made me order a drink and I told them to pick and it ended up being vinegar, honey and lemon. Gross, but I drank it. After dinner and about 20 bottles of beer the lead ambassador from Hong Kong took us to a private lounge and bought 8 bottles of wine for us to drink. We watched soccer and it was fun. Everyone spoke English to me and offered me jobs in Japan or Hong Kong which was nice. I love Japan! I wish every night was so much fun!
written by  Kirsten on July 28, 2007 from Tokyo, Japan

Homestay 3
Tokyo, Japan
Im with my third host family and they are great. I can tell they are really excited to have me and they are all so nice. They have a little papillion dog who is really cute too. Today we are going to Harajuku and Im excited. Last night we went to a restaurant for dinner and they ordered everything on the menu so I could try it. I avioided the chicken intestines and tongue. Our last camp was cancelled so that means I only have one more camp. I hope the kids are good. We will have three extra days where we will be in a hotel somewhere so hopefully Ill be able to travel more during those days. Im still planning on going to Kyoto and Osaka in a few days. Thats all for now!
written by  Kirsten on August 8, 2007 from Tokyo, Japan

Japan is a strange strange place
Tokyo, Japan
Two days ago we went to Harajuku which was crazy. Im planning on going back to go shopping since there are lots of thrift stores in the area. I took pictures with my host brother in the little photo booths. They are really popular here and there are underground areas just full of them. We ate hibachi at home and it was amazing. My family rented me a bunch of Japanese films with English subtitles and we watched a couple. Very interesting. Yesterday we went to Asakusa. It was like traditional Japan and I got to visit some temples. It was really nice. We also went to Ueno and bargained for fish. I had a Wii tournament with my host brother and almost won. Today we are going to the aquarium and to a restaurant where I fish for my dinner and then they cook it for me. Im excited! No one wants to go to Kyoto or Osaka with me and Im nervous about traveling by myself, but hopefully someone decides to come because Im leaving on Monday. I may still try to climb Mt. Fuji too, but we will see.
written by  Kirsten on August 10, 2007 from Tokyo, Japan

Kichijoji
Yesterday was my favorite day so far, but the day before it was pretty good too so Ill start there. My family took me to the aquarium and it was lots of fun. I got to see lots of strange sea creatures and the dolphin and sea lion show. Afterwards we walked around Shinjuku and went up 44 floors in the Metropolitan Government building where we could see all of Tokyo. It was really neat. We went to dinner in a restaurant that had a huge pond in it and we had to fish for our meal. It was interesting. I didnt want to catch a fish so I tried really hard not to, but eventually my host dad took me to the easy area for kids and I caught a giant shrimp thing. It tasted pretty good as long as I didnt think about the fact that 5 minutes ago it was alive. After dinner we went back to the Metropolitan Government buildings and looked at Tokyo at night. It was lots of fun. Yesterday we went to a park and it was really pretty. There was a zoo in it, so I saw an elephant and monkeys. I also road in a paddle boat shaped like a swan with my host brother which was fun. Afterwards we walked around Kichijoji for a while and my host brother and I played in an arcade. I beat him at Taiko drum master (of course). We went to dinner at a ghost restaurant and it was so much fun. It was like a big haunted house and there were fake spiders that fell from the ceiling any time there was a loud noise and fake bloody hands hanging from the ceiling. The food was really good too. Afterwards my host dad took me to a punk club so I could see some music. It was really interesting and a lot of fun. Im hoping to see more live music here before I leave. We got home around 10 30 and sang karaoke at the house since my family has their own system. I dont want to leave my family! Today we are going to the fish market and to walk around Ginza before I meet up with some friends to spend a night in Tokyo and sleep in a manga cafe. It should be fun!
written by  Kirsten on August 12, 2007 from Tokyo, Japan

internet cafes
Shinjuku, Japan
Its 5 30am and I am about to sleep for a solid three hours in a manga cafe in Shinjuku. I love Tokyo.
written by  Kirsten on August 13, 2007 from Shinjuku, Japan

One week left!
This will probably be my last entry in Japan. Ill upload photos when Im back in the US. My night in Tokyo was pretty fun. We hit up Roppongi, Shibuya, and Shinjuku. Im pretty sure we were almost killed in a huka bar in Roppongi. You can have alcohol in the streets here, so we stopped at a 7/11 and bought beer for the walk to Shibuya. There was a really fun bar we found there, but drinks are so expensive here so we caught a train to Shinjuku where we walked around Kabuki-cho (the red light district) and sang Karaoke until 5am when it closed. Then some people went home and Katie and I slept in a manga cafe until 9. We went shopping in Harajuku and Shibuya, and it was hot and crowded. My family rented me some independent Japanese films so I watched them when I got home and they were really great. Yesterday we went to see Kabuki theater and it was awesome. I really enjoyed it. Yesterday was also the hottest day in Tokyo`s history and I survived. There was an earthquake in Chiba at about 4am and it woke me up. Its 9am now and there are still some small quakes hitting Tokyo. Our next/last camp is in Chiba, so hopefully it will be cancelled. We were at the facility for a camp earlier and there is no air conditioning and the food is horrible. I never went to Kyoto/Osaka since no one wanted to spend the money to come with me, so I may still try to go during the last three days here, or else climb Mt. Fuji or take a trip to Kamakura. See everyone in a week!

Weather

Qoo!

Gotemba station

Kaede 8 girls on the first morning of camp

The view from our facility

Teacher and campers

Lion

Lunch on mount fuji that i did not eat.

Burial shrine

Campers

Sake!

First dinner

Jason!

Skit group

Shh

Playground on top of a mountain

On Mount Fuji

Ladies man

At the whiskey bar

I love the vending machines!

Joel and I

My Town USA

Orientation