Week Five (A typical day)

In lieu of a normal post, and lest one think, most mistakenly, that the majority of my time is spent wandering the country as a tourist, I should like to take the time to adumbrate a typical weekday for me here.



This is my host family's house, on the coast of 函館湾 (Hakodate-wan/Hakodate Bay), designed and built by the housing 会社 (kaisha/company, firm) of my host dad. From the house's balcony one can see the water, though the times I've been down to the beach it has always been deserted.



My room is a 和室 (washitsu/traditional Japanese room), which means that I sleep on a 畳 (tatami/i.e. tatami mat) which I put away in the closet during the day. Shoes that are used outside are not allowed in Japanese houses or rooms. On a typical day I'm up by 六時 (roku-ji/six o'clock) for a shower, unless I have homework to finish, in which case I wake up early at 四時半 (yo-ji-han/4:30) or 五時 (go-ji/5:00). After シャワーを浴びる (shawaa wo abiru/taking a shower), 歯を磨く (ha wo migaku/"polishing" my teeth), and 洋服を着る (yōfuku wo kiru/dressing in Western-style clothes, as opposed to 和服, Japanese traditional clothes like the 着物, kimono, which are still sometimes worn), I make my way downstairs at 七時 (shichi-ji/7:00) to have 朝ご飯 (asa-gohan/breakfast), which my host mother prepares.



Typically I eat with my 翔太 (Shōta), my host brother, though sometimes alone and other times with both him and my host dad.



Although perhaps slightly 失礼 (sitsurei/discourteous), my host mom is O.K. with me reviewing for my daily 小テスト (shō-tesuto/quiz) while I eat. Every day we receive a list of about fifty vocabulary words (意味と読み方と漢字/imi to yomikata to kanji/meaning, pronunciation, and kanji characters) to memorize for the next day. 朝ご飯 varies between a traditional Japanese meal, with 御飯 and 肉 (gohan and niku/rice and meat) and Western-style 卵 (tamago/egg). Whatever we are having, however, my host mother is nice enough to put out a bowl of ヨーグルト (yōguruto/yoghourt) and a バナナ (banana), both of which I put on my housing form as favorite foods to have with breakfast.



At 七時半 (shichi-ji-han/7:30) I leave the house with the traditional word of depature, 行って来ます！(Itte kimasu/literally "I go, later to return") to which my host mom answers with the traditional response, 行ってらっしゃい (Itterasshai/"Have a good day", lit. " Travel/exist having gone") after checking to make sure 忘れ物はない (wasuremono wa nai/"Is there nothing you've forgotten?").



With two or three other 留学生 I take the 七時四十四分 (shichi-ji yonjyuuyon-bun/7:44) 電車 (densha/train) from 久根別 (Kunebetsu) to 函館, at which point the announcement on the train also tells us 忘れ物をございませんよ (wasuremono wo gozaimasenn yo/"Please don't forget anything!")



It's a 1.3 mile walk from 函館駅 (Hakodate-eki/Hakodate Station) to the 北海道国際交流センター (Hokkaidou Kokusaikouryuu Sentā/Hokkaidō Internation Foundation Center). Along the way we pass through the morning fish market as sellers greet us.



After the trek up the final hill to HIF, which is so infamous that it was mentioned (that is, complained about) in the student-written literature we received for the program in the States, but which in truth is not really that bad, the chatting in English ends and class begins at 九時 (ku-ji/nine).



My class is E組 (E-gumi/class group E) taught by 齊藤先生 (Saito-sensei). It runs from nine to 12:15. That may sound like a short time period, but it's actually pretty intense! Class time is divided between various activities like grammar exercises, discussions, videos, and group activities. There are two short 休み時間 (yasumi-jikan/break times) and also a longer break when a very sweet local merchant sets up a table to sell us 豆パン (mame-pan/bean bread) and other delectable treats for which we all wait in line, as pictured below.



After the break class finishes, usually with a debate or mini presentation of the final activity.



After class and 昼ご飯 (hiru-gohan/lunch) either in the school dining hall or at a local restaurant, on 月水金 (gessuikin/Monday-Wednesday-Friday) I walk to the gym, where for merely 百円 (hyaku-en/¥100, about $1.15) I can use their weight training equipment and treadmills.



Afterward, I usually head to the 町づくりセンター (Machidzukuri Center), which has free wi-fi and no Japanese-only rule, and therefore is a popular place for 留学生 to do homework, of which we all have many hours every night!



I usually take the 電車 back home in time for 八時 (hachi-ji/eight o'clock) 晩ご飯 (ban-gohan/dinner) with my host family. As I enter the house I yell the traditional phrase of return, ただいま (tada-ima/"I'm home!", lit. "Just now") to which my host mother answers お帰りなさい (okaerinasai/"Welcome home!", lit. " Return home!"). My host dad, if he's home, often adds お疲れ様でした (otsukaresamadeshita/"That's it for today", lit. something like "You must be exhausted"), to which I sometimes reply with a joke, like 宿題がまだたくさんありますから、終わりません。残念ですね。(shukudai ga mada takusan arimasu kara, owarimasen. Zannen desu ne!/Something like, "Well, since I still have a lot of homework, I'm really not done. It's too bad, isn't it!"). After dinner I head upstairs to do the rest of my homework before going to bed.



And that's a typical weekday!

Outside of class, other activities of note this past week included a trip to the お祭り (o-matsuri/festival) at my host brother's high school. Highlights included a very elaborate parade through part of the city and living whack-a-mole.



Finally, this past weekend was the コンサート (konsāto/concert) of the 北大オーケストラ (北大オーケストラ/Hokudai (Hokudate University) Orchestra) with whom I have been practicing twice weekly for about a month. Participating in the orchestra was a great cross-cultural experience, as I was the only 外国人 (gaikokujin/foreigner). I admit sometimes I had to scramble to find what measure number we were starting at during rehearsal.




The concert itself took place in the largest concert venue in 函館, the 芸術ホール (Geijutsu Hōru/"Fine Art" Hall) in the heart of the city. It was a big success! The soirées after the dress rehearsal and the concert were likewise quite memorable. I even managed to give a toast to the orchestra to thank them for having me play. Here's one picture of me posing with 坂井絵里花 (Sakai, Erika) another member of the orchestra (using the requisite peace sign so ubiquitous in Japanese photos) before I leave for the night.



じゃあ、またね！