Hello friends!

I hope all is well in the States!  Every day here in Japan is better than the last!  I don't have much time to write today, so I'll give you a small recap of the last week or so.  Last Friday was a lot of fun!  After my test, JCMU brought in a professional flower arrangement person to teach us how to properly arrange flowers.  The flowers that we used are symbolic for the new year.  In the spring, the arrangements are usually more exotic looking, and in the winter they are more simple.  The flowers that we made were put on display in the academic building and they all look so beautiful!

Wednesday, we were invited to go to the Shiga Dai campus in Ootsu for a Mochi making party.  For those of you who don't know, Mochi is made of rice that you hammer into a dough and roll it into a little blob.  It sounds weird, but it was fun to           make and really yummy!  While I was there, I met so many Japanese students, and got a lot of practice speaking! I had a lot of fun talking to them and getting to know them.  One of the girls we met there is actually going to come out with us tonight, and I am really excited!!

Today after our test, they brought in ladies to perform a Tea Ceremony for us.  It was probably the coolest thing I've done in Japan so far.  (Go to my facebook for a  video of it).  They demonstrated to us the proper way to perform a Tea Ceremony, and the proper way to give and accept Ocha (tea) and Okashi (snacks).  They made green tea and mochi with bean paste for us, both of which were really good!  Apparently, they make different mochi according to what season it is.  This time we had Nightingale Mochi which symbolizes the beginning of spring. The ceremony was held in the traditional tea room located in our academic building which has a beautiful view of the traditional Japanese garden in the back.

HELLO!!!!  Today was a fabulous day here in Hikone! It was the first mostly warm day, so Kristen, Dawson, Paul and I decided to go on an adventure and walk around Hikone!  We walked along the lake for a while and saw a Shinto Shrine (the first picture).  Then we saw the Castle (second picture) and decided that we wanted to walk towards it.  We found Castle road, which had a bunch of really cool shops, and decided we wanted to take a look around.  We found this little pastry shop that had the best deserts EVER and it was really cheap! I also got a really pretty wall hanger that wishes good luck with studying, and I'm hoping it really works!  On our way back, we took a different route, towards Shiga University, and found a Buddhist Temple (the last picture). We all love it here so much and are having so much fun!  Oh, and today we got asked to take a picture with a group of Japanese people.  They were so nice and so excited to see us! 

There is never a dull moment here in Hikone.  I've met so many nice people, and have seen and been to so many cool places.  Classes start on Tuesday, so we are dedicating Monday to studying and reviewing.  I'm looking forward to starting classes, especially because now that I am here, I want to try as hard as possible to break the language barrier and learn as much about the language and culture as possible.  

Welp, time to go make dinner!  Konban wa!! 

The view outside my window :) In the second picture, that building in the mountains is Hikone Castle.

Kon nichi wa! Its been a busy few days here in Japan, but I've absolutely loved every minute of it.  The flight was SO boring and I was so thankful when it was over.  I didn't really see anything on my very first day here, because when we landed, it was already dark out.  However, it was a nice surprise when I woke up the next morning to see mountains outside my window!  I can also see Hikone castle, and part of the lake.  Surprisingly, the weather is so much more temperamental than in Michigan, you should be thankful.  It's cold most of the time, but not too bad, and every once in a while, when the sun comes out it gets warm, probably up to 40 or 45, but then the clouds come back and its cold again.  Here in Shiga, the weather doesn't abide by what the temperature is either.  For example, when we landed on wednesday, it was 40 degrees and snowing... Yesterday after orientation was over, I went to Coco's with Kristen, Dawson and Steve.  The food was really yummy, and I had a lake side view! Afterwards we went to Beisia, the grocery store in Hikone.  That was quite the experience.  Beisia is a lot like Meijer only cooler because everything is Japanese. (except for Lays, Pringles and M&M's) I made sure to only buy Japanese foods while I was there, because I'm going to try to learn how to cook like the Japanese do.  After we got back from grocery shopping, we all got together and make Curry and rice, a very common dish in Japan.  It took a while to make, but it was very good.

Today was rather stressful.  This morning I had my placement test.  Everyone takes the same test, and you get put into a class depending on your percentage on the exam.  The exam started off really easy, and as you progressed it got harder.  I placed in the 3 level class, which is what I was hoping for along with Steven and Kristen.  I have a lot of work ahead of me, but I'm really excited! After the test, the program brought in locals from Hikone to teach us how to cook.  Our group learned how to make Tofu steaks - not my favorite- and a type of sushi.  It wasn't the typical rolled sushi tho, it was actually cooked and served in a bowl of rice, with vegetables and egg.  It was very good and rather easy to make.  The dishes that I have learned so far really aren't that difficult, they just take a while because the rice takes a long time to cook.

So far I am loving every minute of my time here, and I'm already learning a lot!  For instance, its always cold, even inside.  The Japanese don't have central heat so you have to heat your own room, which is expensive, so the heat is off in most rooms for the majority of the day.  Also, the roofs are really dangerous when it snows because they are slanted, so all the snow piles up and then falls down. Another thing I learned was that you have to sort your trash in Japan or they won't take it.  For example, you have to sort the different kinds of cans and plastics, as well as sorting things based on whether or not they are burnable.  If a plastic has food items on it, it becomes a burnable because the food will mess up the recycling.  The vending machines here are so much better than the ones at home! They have hot and cold beverages, and they look cooler too.  At the grocery store, there is a machine that takes the money to pay for groceries, and the same machine dispenses your change.  The cashiers don't have to do anything.  Its actually really cool.  Japan is also a really trusting country, they didn't even card me when I bought a bottle of wine!

I'm having so much fun here, but the language barrier is a little difficult.  I'm trying to use as much Japanese as I can when I am in public areas, and so far so good, however there are times when I speak in Japanese, and the person I'm talking to will answer in English...

Welp, its time to clean and start studying.  I have homework already!  Sending my love from Japan!
Ja mata!