Week 56: The university open house and other adventures

Whew! I finally managed to have a pretty relaxing and quiet weekend! The week was busy because we had a big lab update meeting on Monday, and then I had an additional presentation on Thursday. I also finally realized today that I think I am allergic to something that is blooming right now; all week I felt really run down and I was worried that I was getting sick, but then someone mentioned to me that right now is peak allergy season for a lot of people, so that's probably why I've been feeling a bit under the weather.

On Saturday I took it pretty easy. I discovered a post office very close to me that is open on Saturdays, so I finally dropped some things in the mail. I ran around and did a bunch of errands and I FINALLY made it back to the Indian store. 

I also had time to check out an interesting store that is just up the street from me. The past several times I've passed by, it was closed, but on Saturday I got to explore the mountain equipment store!! It turned out to be pretty cool, and they actually have a climbing wall on the top level! I have always wanted to try rock climbing, but Japan is probably not the place to start. Nevertheless, I feel safe knowing that if I do decide to go climbing, Sapporo's Alpine Support System has got my back.

On Sunday I met up with my friends and we went to the Hokkaido University open house! Every year they have a big open house, and I was even chastized by the man at the Indian store for not being there, so I was really looking forward to checking it out. Plus, the University of Guelph has the biggest open house in North America so I was curious to check out the competition ;)

The Hokkaido University festival seemed to focus around food. The cool part was that Hokkaido University has a pretty big international population and so there was lots of food from different countries. Sadly I didn't find anything to eat (I was hoping for some Indian curry or something!) but alas. I also didn't see a Canadian booth. Shameful!

Next, my friend's kid had an appointment to pick up her brand-new glasses!! She has some pretty stylish purple frames that suit her well. After a quick wander in the Sapporo TV tower (which has a 24-hour live webcam - you might see me biking by if you watch long enough!), my friend's kid started complaining that her tooth was bothering her, so we headed over to the dentist. I got roped into coming because of my Japanese skills which is very worrying. In the end, it was nothing serious (she had been in for a filling the day before and her gum had some painful swelling), and now I know that there is an English-speaking dentist right around the corner from me. 

Next weekend is the Yosakoi Soran festival again. Last year it was AMAZING, so I am really looking forward to seeing it again!!

Week 55: I didn't do anything!!

Hm. I know that I've had some boring weeks before, but this one takes the cake! I really didn't do anything exciting. We have a meeting in the lab tomorrow so I spent the week preparing. Then I cleaned my apartment. Then I made dinner. The end! Next weekend should be more exciting :)

I'm pretty settled into my new apartment. I mostly don't get lost when I leave anymore!! I'm really enjoying having some time on the subway to read. This week I finished the book I have been reading since January, then read another book entirely and am now halfway through another one. I might burn through my ebook library before the end of the summer at this rate!

I have also gotten settled into my new routine. I need to leave much earlier in the morning now, but I have discovered the joys of Japanese morning television for children. My new favourite show is 0655, a five-minute block for very young kids that is kind of like Sesame Street. I like shows aimed at 3 year olds because that's about my level of Japanese understanding. I also saw some great 70's cartoons that were filler between shows, such as "Hasta Luego: sayounara moon cat."I checked but I could only find the audio on youtube, and the video is what really makes it. Here is the star of the song:

A very special cat

Now it's time for my favourite show, which is called 差, Sa, or "What's the Difference." They basically bring up two similar things (e.g. cat skin and dog skin) and then bring in an expert to explain the difference (the blood circulation is different, which is why dogs like playing in the snow and cats don't). Educational!!

Week 54: Back to the beer factory!

Overall, it was kind of a boring week! On Monday I ran around from one government office to the next to renew my working visa and to register my new address. I had an adventure filling out some forms in Japanese on my own. It took me a few minutes to figure out which form was even the correct one to use, but in the end I managed to fill it out on my own!! Of course, this led the employees to believe that my Japanese abilities were significantly better than they really are, so the rest of the trip was pretty tricky. But I think it worked out in the end!

I also got a transit pass!! Actually, to be honest it is the weirdest transit pass I have ever heard of. It's a monthly pass, but apparently I can only use it to travel between my registered stops (so between work and home)??? I have never heard of such a thing. But anyway, it allows me to take the bus between the subway station and work, which is sort of nice because it cuts my commute down from 90 minutes to 60, so I guess it's worth it. 

On Saturday I helped my friends to book a trip to Kyoto!! And on Sunday we went back to the Sapporo Beer museum!! 

It was nice to have a bit of a more relaxing weekend!

Week 53c: Kyoto trip day three

On my final day, I went to Northern Kyoto. My first stop was Kinkakuji, the golden temple.

On my way to the next shrine, I found a Big Boy restaurant!

Anyway, my next stop was Ryoanji temple.

This is one of the most famous zen gardens in Japan.

I had a nice walk to the next temple. Even the street was beautiful!

My next stop was Ninnaji.

As it happens, there was going to be a display of flower arrangements, so the artists were busy at work!

Next, I high-tailed it across town to Nijo Castle. 

My final stop was Heian shrine, after I went to the museum of modern art.

I really loved Kyoto!!