After getting there I realized just how wrong I was. This was no prision compound, just a practical, japanese-style resort. All the beauty was on the inside. And the view, god. So apparently this was one of Waseda University's "student seminar houses," where they send their sports teams to relax before/after wins. It was equipped with a full kitchen (where they served, at least at first, relatively gourmet Japanese food), an お風呂(bath house) for each sex, and really nice dorm rooms. Did I mention the view?
If the seminar house was supposed to be a Japanese-style-bonding experience with the other Waseda Summer students, it was definitely successful. Not only am I close friends with most of my roomates (Matt, Ryan, Mattias, Aaron), but by the end of the first week we had a tight group going. More on that in the next post.
Anyways, every morning around 7 a.m. the manager got on the speakers, played classical music, and politely woke us all up. 7:30-8:30 was 和食のバイキング （Japanese styled breakfast buffet), followed by 3 hours of class from 9:00 to 11:50. Not only did we have 10 minute breaks every hour (enough time to run to the vending machine, buy a beer, and go to the bathroom), but immediately following class we had lunch. The lunches were a little repetitive, but カレーライス (curry rice) never gets old. At 6:00 p.m. sharp was dinner. Imagine my excitement when, on the first day, I sat down and realized our dinner was cooking in front of us. Score!
So what did we do in between lunch and dinner? Obviously it was too early to drink (unless you were chilling at the beach), but it was definitely enough time to walk down the mountain to the nearest コンビ二 (convenience store... a.k.a 711), and buy cheap beer and ice cream. Both the beach and the convenience store were about a 30 minute walks away. And walking back up the mountain was never a problem since it only stirred your appetite for dinner.
After dinner was bathing time. There was no better way to relax then, after a cold shower, getting into the お風呂. I'm already missing that. For the record: public baths and 温泉 （hot springs) rock. Baths were usually followed by conversation and then homework with your peers.
Oh, it didn't take me long at the seminar house to realize that my camera sported a macro function. Observe:
1 comment:
I thought I'd be the first to post, since you seemed kind of...commentless.
Interesting...it does looks like some sort of jail facility. You should (if you get the chance) take a few pictures of the inside, or the specific room you're staying in to give us an idea of what it's really like.
Also, since when do you drink beer? I didn't know you liked the stuff. I knew you were into alcohol recently, but not beer. I wonder if yours is a different kind than I tasted, because the one I tried was beyond fucking disgusting.
You took a bath with other people...? Wasn't that weird at all? At least at first?
Just wanna mention one more thing...I'm quite curious what all those foods you took pictures of were exactly. I didn't really recognize any of them, and as I've already made known to you, I'm very interested in the foods there. So, if it's not too much trouble, you should say what they are, or just email me and tell me. Also, how they tasted and whether or not you liked them.
Anyway, yeah...now you've had a comment. Keep having fun with your Japan adventure. Keep posting the stories. I'm pretty sure from the little you hinted about before that you haven't even gotten into the good parts yet. I'll be eagerly awaiting the rest.
Post a Comment