Tokyo DisneySea

Apart from my blog with pictures and text about my visit to Tokyo DisneySea, I thought it appropriate to show a couple of videos from the day.

Enjoy!

This video was taken at the entrance of the park. Sorry for the stuttering and anything that doesn't make sense. We were just so excited be in DisneyLand!!!!

Rachel decided to take my bet: run through the waterworks (sprinklers) with all of the little children playing in it and get an ice cream.

Mickey-san

On Monday, July 27th, Rachel and I went to Tokyo DisneySea for the day. She had received two free passes for her birthday and chose to take me along for the ride! Lucky me, right?

Japan has two Disney Resort parks, sort of like how America has DisneyWorld and DisneyLand. Except Japan's parks are both located in Tokyo. In Tokyo, you will find Tokyo DisneyLand and Tokyo DisneySea. DisneySea was the most expensive Disney Park ever built. Maybe because it is practically in the sea? Hmmm.

The day was beautiful! We could not have asked for better weather, until it started raining, that is. But, it only rained for about an hour and simply cooled everything off! It was so lovely!

Granted, nothing can really compare to Orlando's DisneyWorld. None-the-less, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was not crowded, the weather was almost fully cooperative, it was not expensive, and the themes were a nice break from the everyday manga and anime in Tokyo.

Being at the park was quite nostalgic, actually. I thought of how nice it would have been to have been in Florida, staying at the Grand Floridan once again, and enjoying the company of family and friends.

Enjoy the pictures!

Rainbow after the brief unruliness of mother nature.

Hightower Hotel Tower of Terror

Cape Cod in....Tokyo?

Tower of Terror view from the American Waterfront.

I did not ride this. Fat guys do not like to be wet. But it was just as much fun to stand and watch everyone get soaked.

My first time to Cape Cod. And I was in Tokyo.

Visiting the Mermaid Lagoon.

At the entrance, preparing for the wonderful time I was about to have.



Love and Peace.
Coming home August 5th.

Mt. Fuji Pics

Preparing for my trip to Mt. Fuji

Here is a look into an email that I sent to my friend, Rachel. We are planning our trip to climb Mt. Fuji and I just wanted to shoot her an email about things to bring/buy. It will give you an idea about what kind of hiking we will be doing, etc.

Hey, Rach,

So I was looking at the Mt. Fuji trip guide stuff and I threw together some lists.

Maybe we can work together on getting some of these necessities. I know that I already have some of them (snacks and stuff).

Also, before I start getting into the lists of things that I put together, I have a favor to ask of you. IF YOU SEE AN X-LARGE PONCHO, will you pick it up and I'll pay you back at some point.

Ok, so after reading about Mt. Fuji a little bit, I am getting pretty excited.

So, here are my lists of things:

AN ESTIMATED COST (list of things to buy):

• Bus Tickets - 2600 (one way only - they don't offer round trip tickets) - 5200 total
• 20 '100 Yen' Coins (for the toilet and vending machines - you'll be needing more use of the toilet than I will ;-) the joys of being a boy) - 2000 total
• Air tank(s) (I am thinking that we would be ok with one air tank, since I don't get altitude sickness, but maybe we would need 2?) - 2000 total (this is just a guess - I know one's in the states don't cost much)
• $ for Meals on the Mt. (If we decide to get some hot ramen in the morning, it is going to be about 1000 for a plate) - 1000 total
• Calorie Mates - 500 total
• Water (2 - 1 Liter bottles) - 500
• Batteries - 500
• Ponchos - 500-1000?
• TOTAL - 12,700 (130 bucks is not bad for a round-trip/hike up the mountain)

A TENTATIVE LIST OF THINGS TO PACK:

• Plastic Garbage bags to keep things from getting damp (put over backpacks at night) and to put garbage and damp things in (I've got these covered)
• Small Pack-away umbrella (I'm assuming it would be safe to have this to put over our heads as we cuddle at night to stay warm) (I've got this too)
• Hand Sanitizer (You've got this)
• Deodorant and Spray (I've got it)
• Extra Socks
• Extra Underwear
• Extra Comfortable Shirt
• Ponchos
• Carmex (I've got it)
• Aleve
• 2 1- Liters of Water (I think that we can each carry one) (I'll bring crystal light packets too. - we can each have a smaller plastic bottle of water to carry with us and refill as we hike)
• Snacks - (gummies, Candy Bar, Granola Bars, crackers) (I've got most of these covered)
• Toilet Paper (Probably the most important one one our list) (Can you bring this - just steal one from your house?)
• Camera and Batteries
• Small Towel (the ones that dry really quickly and are extremely lightweight - to wash our faces with)
• Hat and Sunglasses
• iPod and Case to protect it
• Book of Choice
• THINGS TO WEAR at the START:
• Spandex or Underarmour
  
• Shorts under sweats or running pants (easy to tear off if it gets too warm and also adds an extra layer for nighttime)
• Running Shoes and Thick Socks
• Sweatshirt over T-Shirt (Easy to take off and just tie to backpack on the hike)

Am I anal or what?!?!?!

But I am super excited about this!!!!!! SOOOO psyched!

It sounds like it is going to be physically challenging too!!!! I am really excited about that!!!!!!!!!!!

:-)

Love you and talk to you soon,
Seth

Here's a link that I looked into for research. I've also talked a lot with friends who have gone before a few times, but a little reading never hurt anyone:

http://www.picturetokyo.com/travel/fuji.html

Another Yokohama Visit

I took Kari, Amanda, and Lindsay out on a day-trip to Yokohama again. We had a great time walking around and going through China Town. We ended our day on the pier and soaked up a little sun. The sunset was covered in a humid haze, so we weren't able to visit the observatory in Landmark Tower. Regardless, we had a wonderful time! These are just some of my favorite trips from the trip.

Kamakura and Swimming in the Pacific

It has been quite some time since my last update. Today was a very busy day as I had to take my Mid-Term Exam for Japanese Class. I am so glad that it is over. I am not sure what kind of grade I will receive, but I really don't care at this point. It is over. And that is all that matters.

I wanted to put these pictures of Kamakura, the Pacific Ocean, and Kamakura Daibutsi a long time ago, but something was going on with my internet connection and I was unable to upload them. So, without further or do, here are pictures from my day adventure in Kamakura, a wonderfully laid-back town South of Yokohama. I traveled there for the day with Rachel, Mariko, and Kei.

My day trip to Kamakura was, by far, my favorite adventure. It is such a little place. Busy at times, but never uptight, like that of Tokyo, every man and woman dressed in suits. Instead of the standard salaryman suit, wet suits, trunks, and flip flops were substitued. What a wonderful expereince!

I can't wait to go back.

My first experience in the Pacific!

Wedding Facility Pictures

These are some of my favorite pictures from the Happo-En Wedding Facility that my Contemporary Marriage Class visited last week. Enjoy!!!!

"You will never fully understand how I feel until you are the minority." - Anonymous

I have officially decided that I am never going to live in Tokyo or Japan. I will only come back to sight-see, visit old friends, and maybe travel here for the occasional business trip. Otherwise, I want to stay out and stay in America.

Lately, I have been feeling this kind of pressure; this force that I am always pushing back against/fighting with. It is so hard to explain and I know that it probably sounds crazy, but I feel it. And it makes me so angry and frustrated. The pressure that I am feeling is coming from this society that I am in. You see, Japanese society and Japanese people have this belief that you will never understand what it means to be Japanese if you are not Japanese. Not half. Not 3/4. But full-blooded Japanese. So no matter how hard I try to blend in or understand the society, I am shunned. I am belittled in classes when I try to make comparisons or try to understand what the teacher is saying about Japanese culture or history. It is not intentional, I hope, but it is still so frustrating.

On the other side of things, I am an extremely individual person. I have my own sense of style. I wear an anklet. I like to wear flip flops. I wear shorts. I have a side-satchel instead of a backpack. And it is because of all of these things that I am looked at as different. I am the 'other' and the forever foreign looking person. I swear, if one more person looks at me on the train for wearing sandals, I am going to kick my sandals at them. Because I don't look Japanese, I don't fit the norm. I usually just look down at the ground and don't have to see the people staring at me. People expect me to dress like I am Japanese.

It is so contradictory. I am expected to do certain things to be more Japanese but even when I do them, I will never "be able to understand the essence of what it means to be Japanese, since I am a white, foreigner."

So, I will forever wonder, "What is Japanese?"

Peace

Reminiscing

Shirokanedai Primary School Visit
and
Reuniting with Friends



I was so happy to see Segawa Sensei and Kyoko the other day! Segawa was our professor at Hope College for my freshman and sophomore years and Kyoko was our TA. I hadn't seen them in about a year and then Segawa had emailed me to see if I wanted to get together for dinner and drinks. She took us to this cute little restaraunt in Takadanobaba, a place where she had dined and drank at during her school years. It was called Ninjinya - which means Carrot Shop. I had such a good time and loved catching up with them! David and Rachel were there as well, so it was a little class reunion.

Checking out the little desert display.

Rachel, listening in on conversation.

Trying to decide if we were going to brave the chilli peppered chicken. It was so spicy! The entire meal was about 6 or 7 courses. And I was STUFFED afterwards. Segawa spoiled us and paid for the whole thing. So, we are definitely taking her out when she comes back to Holland. She'll be coming back because she recieved a research grant to study ex-missionaries in West Michigan. Or at least that is what I understood from the conversation in Japanese.

The chopsticks and holder - a fresh carrot.

Just last week, I was given the opportunity to visit the Shirokanedai Primary School for a whole day, sit in on classes, eat lunch with the kids, and share stories with them and play games. I pass this school every morning on my way to my classes at Meiji Gakuin University, so it was nice to be able to step inside and take a closer look.

These boys were definitely trouble in the classroom. But they had wonderful personalities and were so energetic and vibrant, something that you don't normally see in everyday Japanese society. Maybe it was because they were still so young. Regardless, it was a breath of fresh air to be placed in such an environment. Even if only for one day.

Here are some of the sixth graders whose class I sat in on. They were such a blast! And you can see the baseball that one little boy is holding. He pulled it out of his backpack and signed it and gave it to me as a present.

The whole class. What a riot!

Eating lunch. The lunch was absolutely wonderful. But once again, the teacher saw how big I was and put extra rice and miso on my tray.

Middle of May

Things have been going by so fast lately. I cannot believe that we are nearly halfway through May. Wow. It has been a while since I have updated, so here I go. Recently I have done a lot and been to many different parts of Tokyo. The above picture is taken of me in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices in the Observatory. I was researching Shinjuku and had to do a presentation for one of my classes and thought it would be nice/appropriate to get some skyline shots.

Enjoy coffee after running around Shinjuku.

Can't get away from the Anchor. I saw this lit up in Yokohama and immediately thought of Hope. I was in Yokohama for the day with some friends. (Kei, Hirokazu, Mariko, Yu - all have been to Hope before and Kei is coming back for an entire year, starting in the fall.)




Sunset in Yokohama

The view over the city skyline from the Yokohama Bay Port was amazing. I had no idea that I was going to see a sunset like this one. Really, these pictures do not o it any justice at all. In the pictures you can see Landmark Tower (the tallest standing building, not structure, in Japan (I went up into the observatory at night to see the lights and view of the city), the famous sky wheel, and Yokohama Bay. It was the perfect end to the day.

At Karaoke (we needed to take a break from walking) and a view of China Town, Yokohama.

I am absolutely in love with this picture. To start, Yokohama is a very diverse place. They are celebrate 150 years to the end of national isolationism this year. Yokohama was the first port to open up to the outside world. So, as you can imagine, there are many different cultures in the area. On one block, next to the boardwalk, there was this line of different shops and restaurants. Some were 50's and 60's American Diners, some were Dutch, some French, and then there was a Hawaiian Restaurant. And this dog was out in front of the shop. He lived there and had a little door to go back into the storage unit right next tot he shop entrance. We watched him for a bit and he would just relax and watch the people stroll on by. I decided to stop and give him some attention and pet him and snapped a few shots. He was quite interested in the Icee's that we had. His face was priceless.


Earlier in the day, we went out into Yokohama Bay in Paddle Boats. And yes, they even make their paddle boats smaller in Japan. My knees were to my chest.



So, those are the most recent pictures that I have taken here in Japan. I have been really busy with school. Just this week, I had two presentations, two essays in Japanese, and so much more busy work. I am getting used to it all, but it is still a little overwhelming at times. It is so hard for me to believe that this week is almost over. Here I am, at the start of Friday, and I can remember the start of the week like it was yesterday. It is all blending together.

On Wednesday night, I play basketball with a club team here. This past Wednesday was my first time going. And as soon as I walked in, I noticed that I was the only non-native Japanese speaker there. I stood out like a sore thumb. Nonetheless, I was thrown onto a team and proceeded to play 5 games on basketball (from 4-7 pm). It was a long night. I was really surprised at how skilled most of the players were. And fast. And since we all know that I am not fast (not at all) I had to introduce some of my game to them. They were quickly acclamated to the way that I set screens, boxed out, and rebounded. After knocking a few people down, I think that I earned my place on the court as "that slow, strong kid." I had some good assists and some points up on the board so it was nice to not leave the court empty-handed. Actually, the team that I was on one the majority of our games. I had a blast!

More to come later!

Love and Peace from Tokyo,
Seth