Stress, a hyperactive social life and cummulatively large ammounts of alcohol

Jeezy creezy, it's been a while.

I've been busy. With a lot of stuff, some good, some bad. Admitedly, at one point during these last two weeks I found myself counting the days left at Tokyo University while wanting nothing more than to hide in my bed until all my work would magically disappear. My combined obligations to do reasearch for the lab, completing a full set of courses for NTNU, while trying to learn Japanese as well as being sort of in-training at the embassy and having social obligations on the side, was really seriously starting to take it's toll on me.

Short version is that I solved most my problems by finally talking to my professor. He is a remarkably kind man, and together we managed to hammer together a set of priorities that I think I'll be better able to handle. I also took a day off to gather my thoughts and get my heart rate back under control, and now I'm feeling a whole lot better about my final month at Todai.

I'm also feeling exeptionally inspired to do some real work to improve the situation for future exchange students here, because with just a few simple mechanisms in place a lot of the stress I just went through could have been very neatly avoided.

I juuuuuuust managed to get out of my funk in time for last weekend, and I am very much glad I did. Because this weekend (extended weekend, actually) was busy. Like, stupid busy. Busy in a way I don't really think I've ever been before.

I have not been very good at taking pictures lately, so I'll have to use my words. Sorry 'bout that.

It all started on Thursday, when I went sake tasting with five other students from my lab and my professor. Thankfully, we had just cleared the air, so the mood was excellent and all in all it was extraordinarily enjoyable.

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Sushi, sake, and everybody spoke English for my sake (no, not 酒 sake. This is not a pun. I repeat, no pun was here intended. )

Tried sea urchin for the first time.

It tasted like an urchin. From the sea.

The yellowy stuff on the bottom right is the 'urchin. It was actually more or less amazing, and I totally get now why the contestants on Masterchef never get it right.

I even found my sister on the menu, which continues to amuse me.

I could not not try it!

I only photographed the first three bottles. There were two more. Good sake is good!

According to Japanese tradition, when seniors invites juniors out, the senior will pay. Which means my professor took the bill for the whole party. This felt really strange to me, but I showed gratitude like the others and accepted without further comment. It's not like I didn't want free deliciousness, but still... 

Friday arrived and I showed up to school at 8:50 for morning Japanese class, after which I did some very quick work and effective work on my project before going to my weekly face-to-face meeting with my professor. I actually had results! Halle-whoopin-lujah!

And in the evening I went home and had a quiet time with a good book.

Haha no.

I went to the Norwegian Chamber of Commerce in Japan Annual Midsummer Evening Shrimp Party. Ohyes. Innovation Norway invited me. They payed for me, too.

So after my meeting, I whisked myself home to prettify real quick before whisking myself to the embassy once more.

Sidenote: apparently, this was the most efficient quick-prettification I ever did, as I got more compliments this night than eveer and was even approched by a "model scout" on Shibuya station. He didn't seem even slightly legit, but still yo!

Shrimp. And motherfucking rye bread. Colour me happy!

I have to appologize for the sad lack of pictures from this event.

There was shrimp, of course. But also wine. And aquavit.

And I learned that my future bosses at Innovation Norway are fun people who have been in Japan long enough that they do not accept my glass being empty.

YAAAY WAAFFFLEEES!

I live for these moments!

I was, of course, having far too much fun to go home when the party ended. So I went on to join a Naschpiel in one of the embassy apartments overlooking the pool, where there was more wine, aquavit, and decreasingly intelligent conversation.

Eventually, the party moved out and I joined hoping that Karaoke would happen (I always hope that!).

Instead, we ended up at a pool bar with soccer. Goddamn I wish the bloody world cup would just end already. I want people to be interested in interesting things again!

Not my favourite kind of pool.

The only fun part of football is watching men touch each other. And there are
way better sports for that.

I... look... like an adult. WAT!

I stayed for some good conversation, took a quick selfie in a mirror and caught a cab home.

Saturday was calm and headachy. I do not want to talk about Saturday.




Sunday dawned bright and cheerful, and I had a BLAST FROM THE PAST!

HISASHIBURI!

Rakel, whom you might remember from events such as this or this, was in town and it was really really super nice to see her again.

I took her to Shimokitazawa, my favourite quaint little second-hand-shop neighbourhood, and then to Harajuku for its pink-sugar-fluff-acid-experience.

I had to leave her for a while to get officially elected as a member of the ... what the crap is "styremedlem" in English? I actually have no idea. I'm gonna be part of making things happen. For ANSA (Association of Norwegian Students Abroad) Japan. Starting from a while ago, but now it's like, official and stuff. Whatever.

We had a picnic. I brought Rakel.

I said: I have been drinking a lot lately. No more drinking now.

I lied.
Goddamnit I have no self control!

kuhruhOHkeEH!

#90's kidzzz

And we stayed out after 12 which means all night which means until 5 in the morning I got home at 6:30 why God why do I keep doing this to myself?!?

Just kidding. I had the best time ever. It was really seriously awsome.

I even got a picture of Thomas singing. He never sings!

"What the hell am I doing?"

And now it's Monday, yeah? Weekend over?

NOPE!

I didn't go to my morning class (wonder why...) and spent the day making a presentation in Japanese about Pokemon because they said choose any theme so I chose the VERY BEST LIKE NOTHING EVER WAS!

But would you know, there was another event in the afterneevning. I had to prettify (again) to a state of business-casual and go (maybe sort of slightly feeling the effects of little to no sleep combined with a long night of all you can drink and a whole lot of shout... "singing") once again to the embassy.

This time, for a seminar-like event labelled "Communicating Science", held in conjunction with an official visit to Japan by the Norwegian Deputy Minister of Education and Research, Bjørn Haugstad. By the way, this is the fourth official visit by a Norwegian Government official-type only this year. It's great to see that the government still maintains a strong interest in Norway-Japan relations, even after the election.

They had invited as many Norwegian students as they ("we", actually. I helped.) could reach. I was not the only one from the all-nighter, and I was pleased to see that I was not the only one still feeling the effects a bit...

The seminar was very interesting, relating as it did to themes that I really want to work with in my traineeship in Tokyo and possibly later in life as well. I particularly enjoyed the contribution of Prof. Hitoshi Murayama, who gave an excellent example of how difficult subjects (in this case, Cosmology), can be presented in a way that can be enjoyed by any audience regardless of science background.

Prof. Murayama has a real gift for engaging the audience.

Question with answer.

"What does it take to make a fabolous scientific discovery?"

I wish my lectures would include Darth Wader more often.

But after the talks and ensuing Q&A, what happened? Networking. With food. And more alcohol.

This time, I really did manage to limit my intake.

Kyoto finale: Heat wave, and kimono kimono kimono kimono!

Edit: Oh well screw you too blogger! I had written this blog post long and pretty, and then boom. All deleted. I have tried every trick I know to recover it but no dice. I cannot rewrite it the way it was, but I'll get something up. Okay. Damnit. Let's go.

So Sunday dawned bright and hot, and my group of 'weegies could definitelly feel it as we set out to do touristy things.

Are you a fan of fans? I sure am. I am a fan fan.

It was the kind of heat I have not felt for a goody long time.

It is a little known fact, but Norwegians may actually melt in the sun.

The ubiquitous "they" say this is only the beginning.

"Blaaaaah it's so hot!"

If that is true, I see much sweaty complaining in my future.

Waaaateeeer....

"What is with this heat?"

Just kidding though (kinda). I'd take this over butt-freezing -20 any day.

Also, this made me giggle:

"In Japan..."

The main event was of course the very highly touristy one.

The kimono rental place was a small house in a back alley, backed to the brim with gorgeous fabrics and accessories in every colour. Female customers could choose between three packages of increasing price, number of options and general fancyness.

Then they looked at me, did a double take, and looked at me again. For a woman of my impressive stature (almost 172cm...), the only choice was the most expensive option, and my choices were limited to a rack of seven-ish kimonos. They were all really beautiful, but still...

Eventually I did manage to pick out all the pieces that go together to make a kimono, and got to spend 20ish rather awkward minutes being dressed by a woman whose head bobbed around in the general area of my elbow. I tried to bend down to help her when she adjusted my collar, but she would have none of it. She tightened, adjusted, folded, tightened, folded, prodded and voila:

Of course, at this point I'm wearing so many layers of belts (and an actual towel!) around my waist that I'm feeling distinctly huge. Kimono, while so elegant and feminine, are not particularaly conservative of the female form.

We also got our hair fixed to match, and this was done with a level of efficiency and skill I can only envy. I have never seen my hair be so... managable.

Also, blue dangly head-flower. I love dangly!

The guys were looking particularly dapper. I made them strike a Japanese manly-pose.

We were finally ready to go on a wibbly-wobbly walking tour of the neighbourhood.

This being Kyoto, I would have thought people used to seing groups like ours, but it did get to a point where I was wondering if we were the tourists or the attractions, and all the attention was making me incredibly giggly.

The sun was so bright it made taking good pictures difficult, and we were all sweating profously after only a short walk. Or at least, the girls were. The guys looked perfectly comfortable.

The girls posing all pretty...

...the guys are eating ice cream.

I (of course) also took a large ammount of kimono selfies.

Because I am such a...

...FAN(!) of selfies!

Geddit? "Fan"? Hah .. a.. eh..

"That wasn't very funny, was it?"
"Nope."

"Just kidding, it was hilarious!"

Now, at last, I can cross kimono-wearing off my Japan-bucketlist. That makes me happy.

PS Bonus joke:

When I want to be all presentable I'm like

but in reality I'm like

Umeboshi out.

Kyoto, ANSA Japan and Okinawan food: My slow-blogged weekend adventure continues Part 2

In more recent news, the rainy season has now started and so Tokyo has become very very wet. Everything is soggy. I really have to do my laundry (due mostly to the fact that I have no socks that do not smell like something died in them), but am faced with the somewhat daunting question of how to dry my clothes when, as it seems, the ocean and the air are trying very hard to change places.

Now, let the story from the previous post continue. Last weekend was much more eventful than this one anyways (so far today I have been hung over reading Harry Potter in bed after coming home from karaoke in Yokohama at eight in the morning. The oddly conservative train schedules here are really doing a number on my sleep rythm. But in any case, yesterdays diet of transvestites and naked Japanese young men swimming in rivers at dawn just won't make for and interesting enough blogpost (by which I mean I forgot to take pictures. Sorry.) ).

When the official-type business was taken care of, we took a nice long walk to appretiate the beautiful scenery of Kyoto.

Look at this majestic view!

Every now and then some famous sight or the other would obscure the clear view of the grey walls. Though disgrunteled, I made the best of the situation.

Smells like Kyoto.

In the evening I tried Okinwa-style food for the first time. It was ... interesting. Not bad, nope, actually quite good, but also...

Wat?

Wat?

After copious ammounts of plum wine the whole thing seemed like a bit of an adventure, and I made sure to try everything at least a little. Most of it was delicious, yet I can't say I wasn't a little bit relieved when desert showed up looking heartenlingly ordinary.

Obligatory dinner-table group shot:

And then, more futon.

Damn, but I love futons.

Now I just have one more post to make about this trip before I can move on to other things. Gawd, it's annoying being this far behind the times. Toodles.

Osaka, Kyoto and ANSA Japan. My slow-blogged weekend adventure continues.

Following, at last, my previous post, I arrived in Kyoto early last Friday morning bleary eyed and aching, yet instead of stopping to take in my surroundings I hopped straight on a train to Osaka. After entirely too much running back and forth searching at Osaka station, I finally managed to meet up with some ANSA people and boy goody was that not the most well deserved cup of coffee I've had in a long time!

Since the people I met up with live in Beppu, a small town down south, they were despserate to get some shopping done while here in the big city. As I live 30 minutes by foot away from both Shibuya and Harajuku, I was like "meh, sure, I'll tag along" (an attitude not hindered by my ambition to branch my wardrobe option out from "student shabby with holes innit" and into the direction of the ubiquitous "business casual").

Although have to mention that shoe-shopping is the most depressing thing. LL is the largest size available in most stores.

I'm a 41. Whoohoo.

We also located another one of those shops that would have made my 15 year old self expplode with excitement.

So. Many. Tiny. Hats!

This is pretty much exactly what I
wanted to look like 6-ish years ago.

Oh and we found this guy:

Appretiate the random tourist

He is apparently famous.









Didn't really do much touristing in Osaka. Almost went all the way to the castle, but then we got tired and gave up. Took this picture as Osaka evidence, and that was pretty much it.

I have been to Osaka and here is proof. #Umeboshi

After some meandering hours, we hopped back on a train to Kyoto and located our hotel. Style: traditional inn, aka ryokan.

I FREGGIN' LOVE RYOKAN!

I LOVE LAXIN' ON THE TINY CHAIRS.

I LOVE BEING MAJOR DERP IN YUKATA.

I LOVE YUKATA-ING OFF TO THE BATH (WHERE OF COURSE I CANNOT TAKE PICTURES BECAUSE NAKED PEOPLE)

In the evening, the staff-people MOVE THE TABLE IN THE MAIN ROOM AND PUT OUR FUTONS OUT SO IT'S LIKE A COSY SLUMBER PARTY AND I LOVE IT!

I ... don't love the food, actually. It's mostly pickles and slime.

Ah, I do know that ryokan breakfasts can be super tasty. This one wasn't though.

After a good nights sleep and a ... ahem... bracing breakfast*, we (okay, and we went to the bath one more time) were ready to start the business end of the trip. This meant spending a bunch of hours learning about the ANSA organization (that being the Association of Norwegian Students Abroad, for you uninitiated).

*as in, we certainly had to brace ourselves

To be totally honest, I actually originally only joined this organization because of their kick-ass insurance deal. Never expected anyting more from them. Now, after this weekend, I'm actually sort of already on the board of ANSA Japan, and Imma have to stop saying "them" and start sayin "us". And this did not happen only because they brought Norwegian chocolate.

Although I can't say the chocolate didn't help.

Had lunch in this room, which felt awsome:

The lunch was way better than the breakfast btw.

And if that is not Japanese enough for you, there's this:

Damn, but I love ryokan!

To be continued!