Wow, where has the time gone? My last post was April 8th, now it's April 25th. I guess I have a lot to write about. 


In the last 3 weeks I have been to Japan, come back to Korea and had a very busy week of teaching English, and then mid-terms exams this week.

First, my trip to Japan; (click here to see my photo album, updated with Japan pictures) 
Keith and I left on the morning of Wednesday, April 11th. Getting to Japan was half of the "fun". Actually it was the worst flight I have ever been on, thanks to weather-related issues. We went down to land twice but due to massive turbulence, cross-winds, and extremely low visibility due to fog over Osaka Bay it took 3 tries. Some fellow passengers vomited, and at one point we dropped so quickly I needed my seat belt to hold me down only to look out the window and see the ocean fast approaching us, before the pilot roared us into the sky again. Eventually we touched down to a rainy Osaka. At the airport it took a while to get through customs with all the Chinese tourists looking pretty confused and acting dumbfounded (like normal) on what to do with paperwork and at customs. Before we left the airport, Keith bought some money for his Japanese mobile phone and we both bought 5-day rail passes for the Kansai region. After that we hopped on the train from Kansai International to Namba Station in Osaka, near our hostel.

Our hostel was a true Japanese capsule hotel. For 4 nights there we payed only $50 each, which, in expensive Japan, is nothing. We were on the 5th floor of the hostel and you leave your shoes and clothes in these lockers on the first floor and they give you a robe and towels for while you are in the capsules. The one bath for the entire place was on the 7th floor and it was a typical Japanese Onsen (public bath). Also, the hostel provided all toiletries. The capsule was surprisingly very cozy and comfortable and there was wifi and a TV inside each capsule. The only downside is you couldn't be there from 10am-5pm each day. They are really designed for businessmen just staying the night, or drunk people. But staying there was a great experience. (Here's a link to the website)

Our first night out in the town in Osaka was an eye-opening experience, I didn't know what to expect and I was blown-away by Japan. The area of Osaka we were in was called Minami (click here to see some info) Basically, Japan is a completely different world from Korea, and a very liberal country in regards to certain things. During our walk around Dotonbori, we passed endless Host and Hostess Bars and Clubs...if you don't know what they are, look 'em up. We saw young people with really freakish fashion styles and hair and it seemed like the crazier the better. We saw Yakuza members and Yakuza clubs, seeming to watch us as we walked by...which is not something I was expecting or wanting to see. We passed endless Pachinko parlors, and just took in the rainy, cold atmosphere of Osaka nightlife. Before too long, Keith got some fried octopus and we met a girl from Taiwan who told us some things to do in Osaka.


The next day was nice and sunny, perfect weather like 70 degrees. We used this entire day to do sightseeing in Osaka. If you look at my pictures you'll see Osaka Castle, some temples, many cherry blossoms, and other views from around Osaka. Overall, it was a very cool, big city. One downside of Osaka (and all of Japan) is it is difficult to get around via public transit because in one city, many different lines and means of transportation can be owned by many different private companies all requiring different tickets.

The next day, Friday, we used our Kansai region rail pass and went to Nara. (Click here to learn about Nara). Look at my pictures, also. We went to Todai-ji temple, the largest wooden structure in the world, with a giant Buddha inside. And there really were deer just roaming around everywhere. Here the cherry blossoms were nice, too. In Nara I ate some good Tonkatsu which I was waiting my entire trip to Japan for (Click here if you don't know what Tonkatsu is). That evening we took the train to Kyoto and met with Keith's cousin, Shiori. She is Japanese, and she is 22 and works at a bakery in Kyoto. We met her after work and we all went out to dinner at a good Japanese restaurant. She offered us to stay in Kyoto that evening, but we hadn't planned for that so all of our clothes and stuff was still in Osaka so we went back to Osaka at night.

On Saturday we went straight from Osaka to Kyoto and milled around some famous places there. We went to the golden temple, the imperial palace, other fun places too, like Moss Burger (Japanese fast food). For those of you who don't know, Kyoto used to be the capital of Japan for a really long time, it has the most historical and cultural places in Japan. Also, in my opinion, Kyoto is one of the most beautiful places in the world and I really want to go back someday and stay longer. In the evening we met Shiori at her work and got some bakery treats. Once she finished work we went with her to the store where we bough supplies to make sushi as well as beer, and then headed to Shiori's apartment. As Shiori started cooking, Keith and I visited a local Onsen (Japanese public bath) before going back to help her. The sushi was good and you can see all of the food in my pictures. After we all went out for even more drinks. 


Our last full day in Japan, Sunday, the 3 of us went to breakfast together and then Shiori had to go to work. Keith and I made our way to the Silver temple, which despite the name, was actually white. Even though, Kyoto was still a beautiful city. That night we went back to Osaka to stay in our capsules one last time before leaving, and we ate a celebratory meal of Japanese ramen (so incredibly good tasting, see pictures) and then proceeded to go to an all-you-can-drink-for-2-hours bar afterwards (bad idea considering our flight left at 11:00am the next morning).

If you could guess from the last line of that last paragraph, basically we both arrived to the gate and on the plane, hungover and exhausted, only 3 minutes before the plane was scheduled to leave...lucky men we were. The flight back to Korea was good though and we were back at Ajou by 3pm. Overall, it was very nice to get away for a while and explore a new place.
Here are my impressions of Japan, in comparison with Korea:
- Japan is very expensive (average normal meal between $10-$12, one ride on a bus was $3, subway $2.50 or more)
- Japan is extremely clean, I honestly felt that I could eat off of the streets. One time I saw a little kid spill some juice in a shopping area and a Japanese police officer came over and mopped it up with soap and water, in the middle of the road. 
- Japanese people are just as friendly, if not a little more, than Koreans. Whenever we were even just looking at a map, Japanese people were very anxious to come up to us and ask if we needed help, that would never happen in Korea. 
- Japan is much more liberal, from fashion to strip clubs to driving on the left side of the road.
- Japanese beer is much better than Korean beer, especially Kirin, Kirin is very good. 
- Japanese people don't react to foreigners like Koreans do. In Korea I feel like I'm constantly being looked at whereas in Japan there are more foreigners living and working so walking around is no big deal. 
- Japanese food is very healthy, and fish heavy (of course) 
- Japanese people love baseball. 


I'm tired of writing now! I'll update more next time I feel like it :) 

Once again, another busy week, another post one week later!

So where my last post left off was Monday afternoon, now it is Sunday evening! I will explain my week again in condensed form:

On Tuesday I started to finally feel better, my tonsillitis went away after some rest and medicine but when I woke up I couldn't believe my eyes. It was snowing very hard. On April 3rd! So I went to my one class, Sociology, and then I had to go to teach English. After my lesson I had to go meet my group for a group project again.

On Wednesday the sun was shining and that made me feel even better. After my one and only class, I worked on the presentation for my group project in Linguistics class. That evening there was a movie night hosted by AGA but I skipped it and went to the basketball tournament with some other exchange students to watch Vytas play in the final. Being 7ft tall he towers over all the Koreans and it's hilarious to watch. His team won the tournament and 500,000won. It was also on Wednesday that I decided I would go to Japan next week! On Wednesday April 11th, we have no school because it is Election Day in Korea. Thursday we also don't have school because it is Ajou's birthday, and I have no classes on Friday so I have a 5-day holiday from school. Many exchange students are going to Japan during this holiday. I bought my tickets on Wednesday night from Seoul to Osaka!

On Thursday I had classes and my Linguistics presentation. After school, since it was Thursday night, it was Friend's Club night! Our activity was bowling. First though I went out to dinner with one of the groups of Koreans and we had very good dakgalbi. After that we went to the bowling place and had a good time. At first though they didn't have any bowling shoes big enough for me! When we played I was in a group with the German girls, and I won the 2nd game. After bowling everyone went to a bar and played darts. I also won there. After the darts bar we all took taxis to go back near Ajou and we went to our usual hangout club, Plan B. This is where the night got really fun. Many people were there, the DJ was good, and everyone had a great time. Maybe you can see pictures that my friend, April took, click here to see the album on Facebook. One of the best nights of party I have had since I got here. I left earlier than everyone else at around 2:30, because I had to teach English later that day (Friday).

On Friday I woke up and went and taught English. I didn't really do much the rest of the day. Many students went to Seoul for clubbing but I need to save my money for Japan and the next day I was going to hang out with Byeongjae.

On Saturday, Byeongjae picked me up at 11:00 and we went to the Korean traditional village in Suwon. It was cool and cultural and it was very nice of him to bring me. We actually witnessed a wedding there too, a real life wedding, not a staged one. But it was done in traditional Korean style. No kissing, and at the end the groom got on a horse and the bride was carried in a box. I have updated my photo album so click here to see. Saturday night I went to Suwon station and had some very good Japanese food!

Today, Easter Sunday was a very fun day. I woke up and noticed the laundry machine wasn't running so I jumped out of bed and started some laundry. Then Vytas texted me saying to join him and others in the 4th floor kitchen because he was making Lithuanian pancakes. After he made them, a group of 8 of us ate the pancakes outside and basked in the sun, they were tasty and the weather was so good today. Afterwards, I wanted to go to a cafe and study so I went to Cafe Ti-Amo to study Korean and had a green tea latte while watching outside. After that I wanted to be outside again so I took a 30-minute walk before going and eating some bagels. Then I was going back to my dorm and I ran into Vytas, Kelsey, and Imane again and they told me to come with them to a cafe, so I did! We ate lots of cheescake and I had kiwi juice and we stayed and talked at this cafe for 3 hours. Afterwards, since it was so nice, we went and bought Korean style burritos and ate them outside on the patio and just talked for over an hour. After that we went and got Korean pancakes and ate them as we walked back to the dorm! In total, I got no studying done, but that is just fine with me. Being with my friends here is so great.
Now it is Monday actually and I have 3 classes and a quiz in Korean class.

In regards to my trip to Japan, currently I only have my airplane ticket. I am leaving Seoul on Wednesday April 11th and flying to Osaka. And I will return on Monday, April 16th. I am going with Keith, another American, who actually is Japanese-American and lived in Japan for 3 years. I want to stay in the Osaka-Kyoto area and we will probably stay in a capsule hotel in Osaka. More details will come soon. Bye.

Hello world, more than one week later


So maybe if you read my blog often you were wondering where I went? It's been a while and I haven't updated. What I can say is that, in the last 2 weeks I have made rice cakes, traveled over 6 hours by bus, visited the Taebaek mountain range, the East Sea (Sea of Japan), been knee-deep in snow, then covered in sand, seen a drag queen competition, contracted a staphylococcus bacteria, spent one night on an IV in the Emergency Room, taught my first English lesson, and played in a basketball tournament, gone to Everland (Korean Disney World), watched Suwon Bluewings beat Seoul FC 2-0, and had my first exam. That is just the beginning...if you're ready to read then I'm ready to write, here we go (for lack of time I will only write the highlights, if you want to know more just ask me):

On Thursday (22nd of March) evening I went out with Friends Club, we made rice cakes and then as usual, went bar-hopping afterwards.
On Saturday and Sunday I went to Sokcho and we visited the mountains and then the beach. The trip was with AGA. Pictures can be seen in my photo album on photobucket. 
On Sunday night after we returned I got major food poisoning thanks to a clam soup in Sokcho and over 20 exchange students ended up in the hospital.
On Monday I didn't do anything because I was sick in bed all day.
Tuesday was also a sick day for me except I taught my first English lesson.
Wednesday and Thursday I don't remember what I did but I'm sure I was busy because last week was very busy for me. One of the busiest and hectic weeks of my life.
On Friday after teaching I went to Seoul (Hongdae) to celebrate Joo's birthday.
On Saturday I went with Friends Club to Everland (Korean Disney World) and rode the steepest and fastest rollercoaster in Asia. I left early that night because I wasn't feeling too well, I think I still have a cold or something from being sick last week.
On Sunday I went to the Suwon Bluewings game vs. Seoul FC, they won 2-0 and it was a very fun game.
Today at 9am I had my first exam (Economics) and I think I failed it, it was really tough. And then afterwards I went to the doctor to get some medicine for my throat (I lost my voice).
The rest of this week I am planning to do nothing but simply relax. End.