Tabula Rasa (Tides)

I'm taking a creative writing class this semester, and this poem was edited in a workshop with my class. I originally named it "Tides," but people thought "Tabula Rasa" jumped out enough to be a title. What do you think?
____

"Tides (Tabula Rasa)"

Their meetings came in tides
Controlled by the turning of the moon
(Though they did not know it)

The first stroke of sea on sand
Alone in a city for the sake of
Music?
But he sees her and he knows her
And she does not know
That she is not just a particle in the sea.

The waves wash away, revealing

A glimmer she did not see before

A shell she did not even know she was in

But even the footprints fill themselves in

And the sand becomes a

Tabula Rasa

Leaving no proof behind

High tension

Sparks

(Not enough to light a fire

But still enlightening)

And she tries to swim

But there is nothing to swim in

It is all in her head

He is all in her head, the Sirens croon

The denial of parting

And even though there is a light

Ambiguity fogs the mind

The words are too hard to choke out

so she stays out of the water

Tales of riptides racing through her brain

They say the ocean is rising

But I think that it is falling.

-Shannon

Goodbye, Japan (For Now)

On June 30th, I left Japan.

It was one of the least dramatic things I had ever experienced.

Maybe it was the fact that I hadn't slept properly for two days prior to the flight. Maybe it was the fact that I had already been in the airport for 6 hours waiting with my luggage because Singapore Airlines doesn't let you check in luggage until 2.5 hours before your flight. Maybe I had prepared myself for this so much that I had gone past the stage of acceptance. In all, I've only cried once about not being in Japan since I returned - that one time was in the Baggage Claim at Boston after almost 3 days of no sleep. I was emotionally spent.

I've only been back in New Hampshire for 5 days, but it feels like at least a month. Since I've returned, I've been hunting for an apartment, rearranging my class schedule, and making plans to see friends. I always have Japan on my mind, though; how I'll get back, what I'll do, and how long it will be until I can go back (realistically). I don't have an answer to any of those questions right now.

What I do know is that I'm about to write a horribly cliche post of how much I've changed over the course of ten months in Japan. I can't confirm or deny that these changes are a result of being in Japan, or simply a result of me growing up (not that I'm an adult).

I've learned how to be 500% more comfortable with myself as a person. When you feel like you're being stared at every day because of how you look, you either go crazy or you adjust. Thankfully, I adjusted. I'm not saying everyone in the entire country stared at me, but there were more than a few that I noticed every time I went out. I even learned how to ignore it after a while.

I'm not ashamed of my interests. I came to Japan and admitted to everyone in my dorm immediately that I liked visual kei - which earned a collective gasp from everyone - but I said it with trepidation. Now, I can freely admit it. I'll even admit I spent a gross amount of money on concert tickets. Do you want to know how much?...So do I. I didn't keep track. I still have all of the ticket stubs, though.

I've learned how to deal with embarrassment, and, to some extent, deal with it. When you have the Japanese competency of a 5-year-old, you're bound to make a lot of stupid mistakes. There are also a lot of cultural things I didn't and still don't know about. But, you know what? Asking questions shouldn't make you feel embarrassed. Asking "stupid" questions to store attendants in English isn't a problem to me at all anymore - you try struggling to ask things in Japanese that people learned how to do when they were children. I'd rather ask than do it wrong, says the perfectionist in me.

I've learned how to open up to new people. I haven't completely eliminated my shyness, but I can definitely hold a conversation to some extent. I still don't know how to deal with people I dislike, but I do know how to keep in contact with those I do like. If I want to be friends with someone, I initiate it. No excuses. (This doesn't work for me when thinking of approaching boys, unfortunately...)

My current goals are to figure out what exactly it is I want to do and go towards it without fear of failure or fear of judgement. It's not something I like to admit, but I care a lot about what people think of me and the decisions I make. I must ask at least 4 people before making big decisions. I can't do that for the rest of my life.

There's a lot more that I learned, but I think I'll leave that for you to ask. I'll be around. 

fade

We now interrupt our regularly-scheduled broadcast to bring you something pretty emotional and personal. But, honestly, it's something I've been wanting to explain for a while; now that it's over, I feel like it needs to be explained now more than ever.

First, am I making this more dramatic than it needs to be? Maybe. But, you know what? That's my personality. I'm pretty emotional. Ask anyone (especially my family).

I know a few of you have already probably heard this story in full, but a lot of you haven't because it takes too much time to explain.

So.

I'm going to tell you about fade.

Like most fans I know, I discovered fade through YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz, a project started by GACKT. Jon, who was in YFCz as a second vocalist, is also the vocalist of fade. My first reaction to Jon as a member of YFCz was, naturally, "Omg he's white what is he DOING here I'm so confused." (so hypocritical) After I was over the initial shock, I decided to check out fade. I've always been a rocker chick, so their music definitely clicked with me. I followed all of the members on Twitter and even tried to start conversations. They responded. It was kind of amazing to me, as a fan, that I was being answered.

So, I think it was sometime in July? 2012 when fade announced they were starting an official street team. They wanted to increase their global activities and wanted fan/volunteer help.

I'm not going to lie and say I decided to sign up just because I wanted to help the band. I'm not the only one who will admit to wanting a bit of attention from them. Maybe a "thank you" once in a while, or something. Plus, I wanted to see if it would teach me what the music industry was all about (since I have an interest in going into it). I decided to join the "Official USA Street Team" as a moderator, which really just meant I had the password to the Twitter account and could make updates. I had no clue what I was doing. Only one of us did, I think. We tried getting word out about them, but the USA is a biiig place.

Anyways, time passed and there were rumors of fade coming over to the US in September, but it never happened. What did happen was that they got an official marketing manager. With her IMMENSE help, fade was able to come over and play at a charity show to raise money for the 3/11 Tohoku Earthquake/Tsunami Disaster in New York City. What's more, she asked if any ST moderators wanted to volunteer to help with the event. We just had to put bags together for sponsors, so it wasn't hard work. I traveled almost 5 hours on the day after Spring Break ended in order to see them. I was nervous as hell when I turned the corner, thinking about how crazy I was to be doing this.

The marketing manager was late, so I arrived first (and by myself). I ran into Noriyuki (bass) outside because I couldn't figure out how to get into the venue. After I told him my name, he said, "Oh, I think I recognize you from Twitter." He wasn't the only person to say it; once I got in, Ricky (one of the managers) said the same thing, and even Rui (the drummer) said he recognized my Twitter name. Ricky was probably my hero that afternoon; I was way too nervous to start conversations (and I didn't want to be in the way), but he took the time to introduce me to all of the band members and even some of the staff. My shyness kept me from talking. The only thing I was brave enough to ask Jon was, "Do you know the wi-fi password?" (Answer: he didn't)

Basically, that event was amazing and we were all thanked a lot of times by the band. I won't say it made me feel close to the band, but it definitely made me feel like I got to experience something that almost all of their other fans didn't.

So, fast forward to September, when I got to Japan. Actually, fill in that gap of time with a few Twitter conversations that assured me the band knew who I was, at least. Okay, now fast forward. Me and another ST mod happened to be studying in Japan at the same time, so we attended our first Japanese fade live as ST mods on a mission on September 22nd. (check out the post I made about it)

The most I was hoping for at that show was maybe a wave of acknowledgement, to get our stuff signed, and to be able to say goodbye. We got a lot more than that. Jon in particular was interested in talking to us overseas fans.

Each show I went to, something new happened that made me realize how lucky I was (and am) to be a fan of fade at this point and place in our paths. Each opportunity I got to talk with the band, they seemed more and more human to me. They also seemed more beautiful to me. (omg Shannon stop it you're such a drama queen)

There were countless times where I wished I could bridge the gap between fans and band members. It's not something that happens a lot in the States unless you're reeeeally famous, but there is a very, very defined boundary in Japan. Even though the band is made up of mostly foreign members, that doesn't change the fact that they are a Japanese band. So no matter how much I wanted to hang out with them for one day, just one day, it wasn't going to happen. And it won't happen. And I realize that. And it's okay with me. I struggled with it for a while -- went through all the stages of grieving -- and now I've finally accepted it.

I feel like this post isn't doing justice to how much they've changed my life since discovering them in 2012, but just trust me when I say I was not prepared for their concert on May 18th to be my last one. I took for granted that they would have a show in Tokyo every month, ignoring the fact that they had an album to record. After asking a couple of the members, though, they've confirmed there are no Tokyo shows for June (not 100% sure, I think, but it was enough to make me realize I had to say goodbye).

Before the tragic departure, I chatted with Jon at the merchandise table for a bit. We talked about Ozzfest and how awesome Tool and Stone Sour were. Then he recommended a TV show to me, because he knows we both like Game of Thrones and he thought I'd like it. How many bands do you know do stuff like that? Actually, the conversation was more like:

"I have a show for you to watch."
"What's it called?"
"Vikings."
"What's it about?"
"Vikings."

Yeah.

Incidentally, it is about vikings. I couldn't describe it better myself.

But, that's not the point of this post. That was just a bit of comic relief.

When I realized I had to say goodbye, I got to say goodbye to everyone (except Kansei - no hard feelings). They all thanked me, I started tearing up, Jon hugged me, and they all assured me that I'd probably see them again soon (whether it be in Japan or the States). But, they don't know that. I don't know that. No one knows that. I know I should be optimistic, but saying goodbye to them was like step 1 of saying goodbye to Japan for now. I haven't really been keeping it a secret that I'm not ready to go back to the States. I'm also not hiding the fact that I'm going to work my butt off this year so that I can come back to Japan as soon as I graduate in May. But, plans hardly ever work out the way you want them to.

I think saying goodbye to Jon was the hardest. I've never met someone so genuinely friendly. He likes talking to fans. He remembers them. He makes them and new fans feel welcome. He also has this spirit that never seems to wear down - or maybe he's just really good at hiding it. I respect him so much for all that he does and how he got to where he is now, and I hope that, someday, I can have even a fraction of the success he's had so far.

Of course, I respect all of the other band members immensely. Jon is just the member I had the most interaction with and felt closest to.

That's me and fade. It's way more than a band to me. I've gone to way too many of their shows (enough to get bored of some of the setlists), but they were all worth going to. I've met so many amazing people because of them. We call our "fandom" our "fade family," and it really feels like one. I've learned how to climb over the language barrier to communicate with people from all over the world, especially with Japanese fans. I'm going to try my hardest to arrange a meeting with them before I have to go back home. I even have a few more friends in the States, though they're miles and miles away.

I think that's all I want to say on here. This is one of the only times I'll use this as an actual blog (you know, where you vent your feelings and stuff), because I wanted everyone to know how important this band was and still is to me and how it has completely changed my study abroad experience in Japan.

...also because I don't want to do homework.

Going Off-Topic

This is a bit off the beat of my blog (and kind of personal), but I wanted to try sharing something I wrote a little while ago.
___

"Tell Me About Yourself"

I could tell you about how
I was the fastest typist in eighth grade,
Or how
I’ve been struggling with violin since I was 10
And with my self-expectations even longer
I could tell you there are
So many freckles on my skin that
I’ve never tried counting
Or how I sneeze
When the sun comes out
I could tell you I’m a Pisces
And as emotional as they come

Or
I could tell you how
My mother’s fire never goes out
Because she knows what it’s like to be cold
Or how
Half a globe
And a thirteen-hour time difference
Can’t stop my friend from touching my heart
I could tell you how
The plight of Kiki not being able to fly
Comforts me on lonely nights
Or how I find beauty in the pain
Of the lyrics penned by a worthless man
I could tell you
How
These people fed my heart
Mouthful by patient mouthful
Because I still haven’t learned
How to feed myself

—Shannon

Spring Break

This is going to be a reduced version because I don't remember what happened every single day of break. Sorry.

First of all, I'm sure a lot of you already noticed, but for the entire month of March, I decided to abstain from using social networking sites (SNS). It was inspired by an interview project I did with one of my Japanese friends on how Japanese people use SNS. We both realized how frequently we use it and, more importantly, how anxious we would feel if we couldn't use it. Including one other friends, the three of us decided to not use SNS for a month. It went a lot better than I thought. The first couple of days made me anxious because I thought I was missing a lot of important stuff. After that, though, I stopped worrying because I didn't know what I was missing. Ignorance is bliss.

Spring break was the end of my second term of classes. After finals, I had about a full month off. From March 6th-15th, I was back in the USA. I went for a few reasons: I missed my family, it was my sister's birthday, my older brother who lives in Oregon was also visiting, and (most importantly) it was my birthday.

Before I left for home, I mostly hung around ICU with friends. I also got a few souvenirs for family and friends at home.

I actually ended up spending the night in Haneda Airport. My flight was scheduled for 6:50AM, but since trains and buses don't run that early and a taxi is too expensive, I opted for camping out. It wasn't as bad as I thought. I had bad airport curry and alternately watched a movie and took naps. The plane ride was naturally the longest plane ride in the entire WORLD...but I survived. I still can't fall asleep on planes. I was super tired when I got to Boston around 9am.

My first thought when switching planes at JFK Airport in New York was "Why is everyone talking?" I had forgotten how much Americans talked...or maybe it's that I forgot just how quiet Japanese people were? It's reverse culture shock. I was also confused at how casual the security guards were being, joking with each other. Employees don't really talk in Japan, especially at high-security places like airports.

I also thought it was really funny that when I landed in Boston, even though there was a Starbucks right next to the gate where I got off, there was a sign right next to it that said, "Dunkin Donuts Around the Corner." I thought, "Yep...I'm definitely home." Hahaha.

The only other culture shock I experienced right away was, "The cars are so BIG," and, "Oh yeah...we drive on the right side here." It's a good thing I realized that right away, right?

Seeing my family was great. I really missed my niece and nephew. I was also excited to see my sister, who is expecting a baby boy in June! I got to see her new house and her puppies and I had a lot of fun. My older brother came home the same day as me, but he didn't get back until later in the day. He usually has a lot of plans with friends when he comes to visit, but this time, he mostly stayed around the house. I don't think anyone's complaining, haha.

I also got to visit my friends at UMass! A bunch of them just graduated, so I won't be able to see them next year. It was really, really nice to have a chance to see them. I got there the night of the 10th and stayed over my friend's dorm, then hung out with people for the majority of the 11th (my birthday!). I was sooo anxious about driving there, though. It had been about 6 months since I last drove, and over the summer, I got into a car accident. Everything was okay, though, haha. Remembering how to drive is like remembering how to ride a bike.

"Shannon, why weren't you home for your birthday?" you may be asking. My sister's birthday is the 13th, so we decided we'd celebrate both on the 12th. SO THERE.

Anyways, I got to see Kati!!! She was studying in Osaka last spring, so it was literally a year since I saw her.

Now she's going to be an ALT as part of the JET program. Hopefully I'll see her before she leaves in August. I'm gonna miss her. :( But I'm so proud of her and all of my Japanese major friends who are going to do awesome things next year!

That's all I'm going to say about going home.

As soon as I got back on the night of the 17th, I headed home and got back around midnight or so. I didn't get much time to sleep, though. I had a trip planned. From the 17th-20th, I was in Kobe and Osaka. I hopped on the Shinkansen in the morning and was there by noon. I met up with my friend from Kwansei Gakuin, whose dorm I also stayed in. She cooked me all sorts of yummy food. :D She showed me around Takarazuka, the area where she lives.

This is the view of the city from a park we went to.

Plum blossoms!

This is another view in the same place. It's a lot different from Tokyo, where everything is flat and there are buildings everywhere. I want to go back!

The next day, we did a bit more sightseeing before I went to see fade in Kobe. (Oh no, now you know my real inspiration for going there!) 

To tell you the truth, the tickets for the show were so cheap, and my desire to travel somewhere outside of Tokyo was so great at the time that I think it was justified. :P

On the 19th, I visited a friend I hadn't seen in over two years! He was an exchange student at UMass two years ago, and I wanted to hang out with him while I was in Kansai. He showed me Osaka Castle and around Shinsaibashi. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera with me that day. One day in Osaka wasn't enough. When I come back to Japan, I'm definitely going there for a longer stay.

My friend and I were supposed to go more places the next day, but I suddenly started feeling unwell. It started on the 19th and I tried to ignore it, but by the 20th, I felt really worn out. I was supposed to go back by night bus because I had a luncheon that I had to go to in Tokyo the next day, but I ended up taking the Shinkansen back. I realized I would probably feel horrible if I put myself through that. It was expensive, but I don't regret it. I ended up having a fever (which is rare for me - I NEVER get sick) for a couple of days after I got back and was generally sick for even longer.

I was upset at the timing of me getting sick, because, actually, the famous cherry blossoms had just started blooming! They bloomed ahead of schedule this year. I wanted to go out with friends and do 花見 (hanami - cherry blossom viewing that's more like eating and drinking under cherry blossoms), but I felt too sick. I dragged myself out for at least a day, though, because I had to see cherry blossoms at least once in my study abroad career. I rode my bike to Inokashira Park with my camera in tow.

Finally, I'll leave you with a view of the main entrance to ICU.

I've got a lot more pictures on Facebook, so go check them out (again)!

Spring break was pretty lazy after that. Classes came way too quickly.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask or leave comments!

Filler Post

Hey, everyone, it's been a reeeeeally looooong tiiiime, hasn't it?

I can't really pinpoint why I stopped blogging, exactly, but I want to make a renewed effort to keep up with this.

First, I want to change the layout. I'm trying to re-learn some HTML so I can make it all cool and professional-looking, haha.

Second, I'm not going to update. This is just a reminder to everyone that this blog shall not die!...(yet)

BUT,

Some things I will update on are things like:
OZZFEST 2013 (Japan's first OZZFEST)
Sakura
Spring break (going home to the US for a bit)
Osaka & Kobe
More concerts
New classes
etc, etc.

So, look forward to lots of updates!

I can't say when they'll happen exactly, because I'm trying to keep up with homework.

See yaaa!

This is Becoming a Pattern...

So, it's been a few weeks...sorry!

You know when you have a lot going on, but you don't know how much to tell or who wants to hear what? And then it all keeps piling up until there's just too much to explain? That's me and this blog.

I also got the impression that not many people were actually reading this blog, but lately I've been getting big, long, awesome messages from some friends on Facebook who have noticed my "silence" and have been wondering what's up!

So here's a few quick answers to questions I'm being asked (not meant to be mean!):

• No, I don't have a boyfriend yet and I haven't been on any "hot dates" yet.
• Classes are challenging, but professors are really accommodating and I've been working just hard enough to keep up with everything.
• No, I'm not fluent in Japanese yet. I haven't been putting as much effort in as I could be.
• I have made a ton of friends, though!

Right now, I'm at a point where I'm accustomed enough to life here in order to start focusing on internal things. I didn't come here to have an easy, fun year. I came here to improve my Japanese, broaden my horizons, and start working towards being who I want to be (yeah, yeah, this is super cheesy, but this is what has been going on in my head). I'm learning how to take risks, and even if I'm afraid of trying new things sometimes, I'm learning how to act in spite of it...because it's almost always not as scary as you think it will be.

On my mind a lot lately is the realization of how sheltered I am. This is meant in NO WAY AT ALL to be a statement against my parents or my upbringing or anything, because they have given me all of the support I need and more. This is more the fact that I personally - maybe even unconsciously - made myself this sheltered. There are a ton of things I haven't experienced and it's getting harder to think of myself as someone who is able to understand different points of view, because there's just so much I don't understand yet.

I know this is more of a rant than an update again. Sorry. I also don't know how specific I want to be in this blog, because I'm still kind of a private person, despite it all. :P I can safely say I'm learning how to be more comfortable with myself by myself and around other people, though. That's what happens when you get out of your comfort zone, haha. 

I'm going to make more specific posts over the next few days. I'll start digging up some stuff that has happened over the past few weeks. Also, if you have any requests or anything (things you've heard about and want to know the truth about, for example), just message me whenever!

Scatterbrain

I'm just going to talk about what's been on my mind lately. It's kind of jumbled and not super happy since I'm typing this out as I think, so I apologize in advance! I just thought people would like to know what I mean when I you ask, "How's Japan?" and I say "Good!"

So, I've been trying to think of ways to spend my time lately when I'm not doing homework, but I keep ending up at my computer, alternating between checking Facebook, Twitter, and researching random things. My mind is really scattered lately and I feel like I can't let myself relax. I'm calling it OYR Syndrome (One-Year Regular Syndrome...that's what my status is listed as here, but it really just means I'm an exchange student). I'm so focused on the idea of, "I'm in Tokyo! I'm in Japan! I need to do ALL THE THINGS!" that I can't focus on anything besides wanting to do the things I want to do without actually having any direction. Even if I sit down and try to make a schedule, it doesn't work out because new things pop up or I suddenly don't want to do it anymore.

Don't get me wrong; I'm having a blast here and I'm experiencing a lot of new things. But what I'm aiming for on this whole study abroad trip is to push myself past my limits, whatever that may be in. I want to experience as much as possible in the time that I have. The problem is that there are too many things I want to experience and I end up frustrated with myself when I go through a week of schoolwork and realize I haven't actually made solid plans for the weekend. I mean, I can be spontaneous... I just like to have an idea of what to look forward to. I think that's why I've been going to so many concerts. The dates are set by someone else, so it's either "be there or be square," you know?

At my dorm meeting last night, we were told about a sheet we have to fill out regarding our travel plans over spring break (we have about 5 weeks off). I realized that I don't have any plans outside of going back to the states for 9 days. That means I have almost 4 other weeks to fill up. I have vague ideas of what I want to do, like go to Kyoto around cherry blossom time...but I haven't even sat down and researched yet. Whenever I think, "I'm going to sit down right now and look up ideas for places to go," five other things pop up in my mind that I should do or that I've been meaning to do.

The solution is probably to take a breath, slow down, and take a day to just think, but I don't really know when I'll be okay with that. I feel this sense of urgency that I always need to be doing something so that I can look back and say that I used my time in Japan to the fullest.

Like I said, I'm having fun and I'm fine. It's not like I'm sitting in my room having panic attacks or crying. I just thought it would be interesting to tell you guys about a side of studying abroad that's not always exciting.

More New Year's Stuff

I totally forgot to include my video, haha.

What makes New Year's an exciting time for shoppers is that there are lots...and lots...and lots...of SALES.

Stores also make things called 福袋 (fukubukuro - lucky bags) that contain a bunch of the store's merchandise for a really reduced price.

I made a video of me opening two of the ones I got! They were Christmas presents to myself...

(This is also the video that got a bit of attention on YouTube)

Holiday Break - New Year's Eve

New Year's Day is a big deal in Japan. It's more like family time (kind of the opposite of the USA, huh?). It's so big that a lot of stores will go on holiday for sometimes 5 days after the actual day. It's not really boring, though, if you know what to look for...

On New Year's Eve, I headed to Shinjuku to meet up with some friends who were visiting Tokyo. They go to my home university, but they chose to study in Osaka and Hokkaido. They were doing a lot of sightseeing.

When I headed out in the afternoon, the station was eerily empty...

Our plan was to walk around Shinjuku for a bit (where I showed them my beloved little visual kei corner of the district) and go to Meiji Shrine for 初詣 (hatsumoude - first shrine visit of the New Year). We knew it was going to be crazy and crowded, but we wanted to go anyways.

Before that, though, we met with one of my friend's old friend's (sorry about not using names; I'm not sure if people want me to use them!). We found a nice soba place in Shibuya - it's traditional to eat soba around the New Year.

Soooooo delicious omg.

 Since Meiji Shrine is in Harajuku and we were already in Shibuya, we decided to walk there. It was around 9:30 or 10 by this time. There were a lot more people out and about now. The closer we got to the shrine, the livelier it got. They even had a line of street food vendors. I got お好み焼き (okonomiyaki - it's like a Japanese-style pizza, sort of) while my friends got some 甘酒 (amazake - a sweet sake that has hardly any alcohol in it; they even give to kids) on the way back.

We got to the main part of Meiji Shrine around 10:30PM. Honestly, I didn't know what was going on, exactly. I was just told that we were going to Meiji Shrine and something would happen at midnight...so we basically stood around in a crowd for half an hour or an hour in the cold. I finally couldn't handle the cold and asked if we could just go in really quickly and leave (you could go in any time before midnight, but people wanted to wait until midnight). The crowd was huge and there were SO many policemen around, so I knew that the process was going to take a lot longer than just waiting until midnight. So...my 初詣 ended up being unsuccessful, haha. I guess there's always next time!

When the clock struck midnight, I was waiting on the train platform in Shinjuku to go home, listening to my iPod alone. It wasn't such a bad way to ring in the New Year, though; after all, I was in Tokyo, exactly where I wanted to be!

On New Year's Day, I woke up to find that my roommate had left me some soup that is traditionally eaten at the New Year. It was so sweet of her! :D

I was really tired, so I ended up not doing much on New Year's Day besides making cupcakes...haha. My parents sent me a few boxes of cake mix for Christmas, so I needed to get rid of them somehow! :P

So, that was my New Year's holiday! The way I spent it wasn't the epitome of tradition, but it was fun.

Holiday Break - Christmas

久しぶりでごめんね！ (Sorry it's been such a long time!)

For whatever reason, I keep neglecting this blog. I'm trying to define what exactly this is. I've decided it's more of a personal blog than something with which to inform other people about Japanese culture.

If you want to know more about Japanese culture, you should start looking at my YouTube Channel! I'm going to make an effort to make videos there. I've gotten a bit of attention lately...I tagged my latest video (which I will explain later!) as a response to a popular Japanese vlogger's channel; she liked it and shared it on Twitter, so a lot of people have been checking out that video and giving me suggestions for others. So, give me suggestions!

Anyways, I'll talk about the Christmas part of my holiday break in this entry.

In Japan, Christmas is more of a couple's holiday than one to spend with your family (if I mentioned this in another post, sorry). I don't have a boyfriend or anything, so I decided to spend Christmas with my friend who was studying in Mito. She came to Tokyo for about a week.

We spent a bit of time around Shinjuku and tried to find more illuminations.

After she had to leave, I met up with a few other friends to go see The Hobbit! It was awesome. :D Even though I felt a bit lonely seeing couples everywhere, I'm glad I spent Christmas with some great friends.

(This post is a bit short, but I want to split up the holiday into sections)