End term Exams!

These days we are very busy. We are preparing for the various exams. This week we had "Presentation Test" where we had to talk for about 5 minutes on a famous person of our choice. Wednesday we will have the "Dialog Test" where we need to build up a dialog with one of our classmate for about 5 minutes.

On Thursday we will have the "Confrontation Test" where two groups of people will be build and each group has to give either a positive or negative comment on the discussed topic.

On Friday we will have the "News-Test" where we need to prepare a piece of News and read it as if we were a newscaster.

Next week, there will be the "Kanji Test", "Writing Test", "Grammar Test" and "Reading Test". Finally our school will finish on March 17th, and we will have holidays for 3 weeks...can't wait for it! ;)

Tsunami Warning!

After the earthquake in Chile, the Japanese TV displayed the tsunami warning and risk zones on all TV stations. The Japanese tsunami warning map, with updated information was displayed permanently during normal programming.

3 levels were given, Green, Yellow and Red, but we already knew that everything was fine, except for the southern island of Japan where I've heard they had some waves and high tide.

Luckily everything went fine and it was not a big issue. In any case, it seems that Kobe is quite protected from tsunami coming fromt he Pacific, as there is some Reef stopping waves from coming thru...

Japan at The Olympics!

In Japan the Olympic fever was high! Japan showed support preparing various sets around the city (but probably around the whole country, too ;) and the above one in a shopping center in Kobe was interesting, since hanging from the ceiling ;)

The number one watched Olympic star for this year was Mao Asada, 23 years old, Figure Ice Skating.

She was everywhere on TV and pictures of her were all around. Unfortunately she didn'g get the first place that was won by the Korean Kim Yu-Na, and which apparently was the first time for Korea to take home a Gold Medal in Ice Skating.

The Japanese Mao Asada did however an excellent performance, and she got the silver Medal. Of course she was really sad that she just missed the Gold for few points.

The support she got in japan was amazing. During her performance, I was at a local Gym and everyone stopped during her performance and run in front of the TV...

Birthday Boys!

In the Picture from the left: Yaya-san, Jamikon-san, Davide-San, Medi-San and Ken-San. I said birthday Boys, because Yaya-san was the representative of the class distributing the birthday gifts ;)...a Birthday Cake!

Orientation Day

Today was Orientation day. Various representatives for different school came to present their Technical School. Among them there were different faculties like Computer, Design, Psychology and Business School.

Up to now most of the students that wanted to start this year, have already choosen their path, but for the undecided ones, i think this was their last chance for this year.

What's the difference between University and Technical school? Both are recognized in Japan as official Schools, but hearing from various students, entering a Technical School is easier than the university. Why? To enter an University you need to pass the admission test, whereas for technical school mostly they only Interviewed the candidate, but didn't have to pass an actual test.

From what I've heard, entering a Japanese university is not very easy, it requires quite a good level of Japanese... that's why, the students that prefers University over Technical school, I think they will stay at this school for another year...

イモトアヤコ (Imoto Ayako)

You'll be surprised if you have never seen Japanese TV before. The one in the picture is Imoto Ayako and is the protagonist of one weekly TV show on Sunday. Is a funny girl. She travels around the world trying various daring things. Check her out on youtube here!

The nice thing on Japanese TV is that they always have some subtitles on what is being discussed, so if you cannot understand what they are talking about, reading the subtitles might help ;)

I'm not sure if in Japan they have Digital TV. At home I have only 10 channels, 2 of which are for Shopping (they sell stuff...).

By the way...did you know that you can watch TV for free on your Japanese mobile phone?

Valentine's Day in Japan!

14th of February was Valentine's Day. But what does Valentine's Day work in Japan? Well, as in any other country, is the day of people in Love. What is the difference in Japan compared to the rest of the world? ;) well...you'll be amazed...

First of all, in Japan, the ones receiving a gift on Valentine's Day....are... MEN! You read right ! Girls will buy expensive chocolate or in some cases, prepare small chocolates themselves and give them to the loved ones. Of course, doesn't mean that men's can just get away with their chocolate ;) ... but the interesting thing is that on february 14th, they will get the chocolate. On March 15th, is the opposite, girls will receive a gift and the day is called the "White Day".

Another thing to point out, is that if you are a man and will get a chocolate on the 14th of february, doesn't necessarily mean that they are in love with you. There are different levels of chocolates: The one for the Loved One, the One for friends and the One for Colleagues. It always depends on the cost. If you get a, let's say, Doraemon Chocolate, it means ...well...you are just a friend, but if you get a chocolate box from Godiva (one of the most expensive chocolate shops in Japan that looks like "Chocolate-Boutiques") it means...well... you are the lucky one!

Unfortunately this nice tradition is slowly disappearing. In fact, even in japan, is more and more usual to celebrate Valentine's Day in the Western Style, which means more fand more requently girls now expect a gift from men... too bad!! isn't ? ;)

Yaki-Tori-Don!

This is really delicious! You need to try it! Is a "Don". A "Don" is generally a bowl of rice with some toppings on top. In this case is a "Yaki-Tori-Don" which means "Grilled Chicken Bowl". On top there is some seaweed to add more traditional taste ;)

You can find This one in one of the various shops around Sannomiya Station. Where you see the sign saying "焼き鳥" (Yakitori) just check the menu if you find "焼き鳥丼" (Yakitori-Don). Usually shops have written outside what is their main dish, and you will find that outside Yakiniku (grilled meat) Restaurants, they always write Yakiniku (焼き肉）in big Kanjis! Just make sure you check the price before entering ;) some places offer Yakiniku-all-you-can-eat-buffet starting at 1,500 Yen, but expensive ones, can easily go up to 6,000 or more...

Worth to try! believe me!

Test Results!

We got the Test Results of December Test! In our class various classmates tried the level 2, which is quite hard. One of them attempted level 1. I and other non Asian Students, we tried Level 3.

We with level 3, in Class "C" passed all. Our chinese friends had troubles with level 2 and It looks like nobody manages to pass that one as well. There was a surprise, though, Our classmate Inson-San (she is from korea) Attempted level 1 and ...guess what! She passed! Congratulations! Amazing!

If you plan to enter an university in Japan, they don't really look at this test, since you need to pass the school test to be enrolled. Some of the students, still didn't have a level 2 but managed to enter the University...but still, you need to know quite some japanese to pass the entrance tests, which are not that easy, since includes mathematics and other tough vocabulary...

The next test I think will be around July... but still no information yet...

Setsubun: Season Festival

Setsubun literally means "Change of Season", but in February, there is a special event that usually matches the lunar New Year which is celebrated.

The Celebration consists in wearing a mask and people throwing Soya roasted beens at the one wearing the mask to chase the evil away.

I personally didn't see it, but I've read about it. On that day they sell the soya beans for the occasion. There is an article that explains the details on wikipedia (click here) if you would like to know more ;)

Cooking Day!

Today was cooking day! We met near the school at 10 AM and were ready for our adventure ;) Is nice to have a "Day Off" and doing something different than studying Japanese in Class.

Even though we had just a rough idea on how to cook the planned recipe we all did our best. For cleanliness, we all used Face Masks.

We were about 70 students! Wow! Teachers did really a good work preparing all the ingredients and planning this activity...not easy! It took us about two hours to prepare all the dishes, dessert included!

Every team was of about 10 students. This is the team lead by Miyake-Sensei and as you can see they were almost finished. We had just a little trouble with the rice that didn't completely cook, probably we put too many ingredients ;) and here they are completing it in a normal pan, nevertheless... it was delicious!

This team did really an amazing work presenting their final result! Tamago-yaki, Miso-vegetable-soup, and fish with vegetables!

And of course, at the end, Dessert! This was absolutely the best! Really good!

At the end, before leaving, we cleaned up everything in record time and left at around 3.15 PM. Just the time to take one last picture with our teachers :)

A day with University Students!

Today we met the Students of the Girls' University of Kobe. We already know some of them as we met them last year during a previous visit to their school.

This time we had few questions to answer, like "What was the most amazing thing you did" or what would you do with "1,000,000 Yen" ($10,000). It was interesting hearing the answers ;) One of the bravest thing one of the students did, was eating two bowls of rice topped with grilled meat ! (and no kidding! is quite big and one usually fills you up)

Every group did a presentation on the answers of one of the group members.

Most of the students that came to our school, will finish this year. After that, they will enter their career work. Actually, listening to young people, one of the hardest time for a Japanese is during their school years. I know one girl, she is only 14, that wakes up every morning at 5.30 AM to go to school. When I said "Every Morning" i literally mean including Saturday's and Sundays. On those days they have practice for extra school activities like playing in a Band or training for various Sports.

And here...a video :) !

Sushi!!!

Today we went with a couple of students, Davide-san and Yaya-san to have lunch together. We found this place where we can have a sushi set, called "Rokko-plate" (Rokko-san is one of the mountains surrounding kobe) that with Miso soup costs 710 yen. I real deal!

If you want to get the best bang for your bucks, you need to always choose a specialized restaurant. It means: if you want to eat sushi, look for a sushi place. If you want to eat Tonkatsu, look for a tonkatsu place. You can find sushi everywhere, but the best quality you usually find it in a sushi restaurant.

This plate is only a "Lunch Special" it means that at night prices go up. One thing about Fish in Japan, compared for instance to Europe, is that it doesn't smell like fish. You can put your nose directly on the fish...amazing...no smell!

Come and try!

Japanese Movie Theater!

If you enjoy watching movies, you can have a good time in Japan! The above is the sign and name of the Mint Kobe building near Sannomiya JR Station. At the 9th floor you can find the movie theater. On the 7th and 8th floor there are some restaurant and the remaining part of the building is a shopping center.

There are many screens... I think about 8 different shows at the same time. What is interesting is that all Foreign Movies, like Hollywood movies are in original Language with Japanese subtitles. Of course you can enjoy japanese movies as well, but they are quite difficult to understand as they might contains some jokes difficult to catch.

I always go on the "Movie-day", twice per month, on the 1st and on the 16th. On those days, it costs only 1000 yen (normal price is 1800 yen). Lately they had some movies in 3D, like Avatar that was really nice, but for 3D movies there is an additional service fee of 300 yen.

On "Movie Days" I go usually around 2 PM after school, and book a ticket for the 6PM show. At which time, I can still choose the seat i like. If the 1st or 16th is on staturday or sunday the movie theater is really full! When i went to watch Avatar, I could manage to get one of the latest tickets, even though i went there few hours in advance.

To find out more, check the official website here!

Meet Inada Sensei!

She is Inada Sensei. Full name "Inada Hiroko". She is our main teacher in the "C" class and we have her on Monday and Friday. Let's know her better !

She was born in Kobe but she is now Married and Living in Osaka. She has two boys that already finished the university and currently working.

She has travelled to europe before and visited Spain and Paris. She would like to visit Switzerland, Sweden, Finland and travel in Europe. One of her dreams would be to Travel around the world!

Her favorite food, among many, are Italian Food, Yakiniku, Sukiyaki, Syabusyabu and Sushi. When she has some free time, she likes drawing or hike on surrounding mountains.

Inada-Sensei is very dedicated to her job. She listen to her student when they have a wish and tries, if possible, to fullfil their wishes. One of the things we asked her at the beginning was to get more interesting things and readings...and now, every week, we get interesting articles on news and traditional things on Japan!

Her personal message to all current and new students:
一緒に たのしく 日本語を 勉強しょう！
[together-with fun-Japanese language-learn-let's]

Let's enjoy learning Japanese together!

Dormitory or Apartment?

If you are thinking of coming to study in Kobe soon, you might wonder what is like to sleep in a dormitory or what kind of acomodation to choose and what to expect.

Life in a Dormitory
What is the life in a dormitory like? You need first of all to think that in a dormitory, you will need to live togheter with many other different people and cultures. It might not be as easy as you think, but on the other hand, is the cheapest choice.

I've experience both, life in a dormitory and life in an apartment. In the dormitory, not everyone is sleeping, eating or watching movies at the same time. When I was in the dormitory, one of the students loved to watch Japanese Anime until 2 or 3 in the morning (he slept usually in the afternoon). Then other students enjoyed a nice dinner around midnight or 1 AM. Another one, because of the time difference, usually had a chat with his family after 1 AM.

It might be noisy. And you might need to clean up other people stuff, like Kitchen Pans, if you want to cook your dinner. Of course, the rule is that everyone has to keep everything clean, but since the age goes from 18 to over 35 years old students, not everyone is the same.

On the price side, on the other hand, is really convenient. Let's take a look:

Rent
Dormitory rent is 35,000 Yen for a double room and 45,000 yen for a single room. An apartment start at around 55,000 yen per month.

Fees
Gas, Electricity and Water are included in the dormitory base fees. Living Alone, you need to calculate about 4000 yen for Electricity, 7000 yen for Gas and about 3500 yen for Water in addition to the rent.

Furniture
Basic furniture and tools are included in the dormitory. For an apartment, you can rent one already furnished, but you will still need to get your own Futon (10,000 Yen) your own sheets (3,000 Yen) and various Pans and Pots (around 1000 yen Each).

Own Apartment
Of course in your own apartment you are more quiet, you can do laundry and cook whenever you want (in the dormitory, 5 or 6 people, you might need to postpone your dinner), and don't need to queue up in the morning for the bath. On the other side there is the cost to consider.

My suggestion is: Try the dormitory first, single room if possible, and if you don't like it you can find yourself an apartment. But something to know, if not otherwise agreed with the school, is that if you enter the dormitory, is normally for the whole period (for instance 6 months).

What many students did, was to stay at the dormitory 6 months and then they found and shared an apartment. Doing so, you can actually choose the people you want to stay with, and it might become cheaper to share expenses...

Late for school!

Today, i got late to school. These days are quite cold and in the morning it take a while before i manage to get out of my warm bed ;)

So, I got 3 minutes late to school. At Kobe Toyo Japanese College they are quite strict with attendance. If you get one minute late, you need to fill up the justification form. There is a rule that is explained on the first day when you get the orientation information. Of course, at that time I didn't know a lot of japanese, so i only caught 1% of what was said.

The rule is: if you get to school 4 times and are late below 10 minutes, it will count as a 1 hour. If you come 1 time but you are late more than 10 minutes, it will count as a whole hour. Your attendance is then recorded every day and at the end of the month you get the whole period statistics.

Attendance is important if you plan to stay more than one year. This because when you go to renew your VISA for another year, you need to show a good attendance to get your VISA renewed without problems. If your attendance is not good, they might deny you the renewal.

A funny story... the first time I had to fill-in the form, I didn't know that I had to bring a copy to the teacher in class...so i basically threw it away as i thought the copy was for my record... imagine the face of the teacher when i gave her my teared up late-justification-form ...

Movie Week!

This week was "Movie Week". Every now and then, we get Movie Weeks at school. We can watch a movie at school. It means that one movie is proposed and the same movie can be watched during the week at different times one or more times.

This week movie's title was "Arigato". The movie starts with the Big Earthquake that struck kobe in the 1995. In the movie, a man that had a Photo Camera Store, lost everything. Luckily, the whole family (wife and 2 daughters) survived safely. After the earthquake, they were thinking what to do. First they helped others and helped rebuilding the city. At the same time, the main character wanted to start again playing golf (he didn't play for many years) and become a Pro Golfer. Not an easy taks, since he was not that young anymore.

He trained hard, got big support from family and friends and finally, with all savings, went to tokyo for the Pro Golfer Exam. He finally made it and passed the exam.

It's not easy to understand a movie in Japanese, even after 1 year here. Is quite different than going to school and doing exercises. Luckily, there are subtitles (in japanese) so if you can read a little, can help a lot ;)

Lunch at School...Pegase Café!

Before coming to Japan, I've always had a lot of questions for which I didn't have an answer. For instance: How much, beside school fees, does life in Japan cost?.Today I will talk about "Lunch" costs.

In general, food in japan is not too expensive. You just need to be a little attentive on where to buy, and keep an eye on special sales. An example? You can buy 4 bananas for 250 yen, or, wait for the sale, and buy 20 of them for 200 yen. Prices might vary a lot. For a lunch, prices can go from 600 to around 1000 yen for a set.

What's a set? A set usually includes a bowl of white rice, a Miso Soup and a main dish. Plain natural water and sometimes green tea are free. A soft drink might also be included.

You might have noticed from the school's main website that there is a link to the Pegase Café. We get a huge discount there! 50% off!

There are usually 5 or 6 menus you can choose from. Normally with a choice of at least Fish, Meat and Pasta. The set includes a small salad, a soup (everyday different), a choice between bread or white rice (with some toppings) and a Soft Drink that can include (but not limited to) Orange Juice, Tea, Coffee (hot/cold) or coke in addition of a glass of water (refillable) that is brought to you as soon as you sit down.

If you are really hungry, you can get extra rice or bread at no additional cost. How much? for students, the whole set is 490 yen, which is really a bargaom given what you can get!

The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays. Lately, we found a nice sushi shop near Sannomiya JR station, where we can have 7 pieces of sushi for 700 yen and it includes a Miso Soup as well. The fish is really fresh, big slices and taste good! Normally, you get better deals for lunch than for dinner. In fact, dinner sets, costs usually between 150% or 200% than lunch sets.

I hope to have given you a little insight on lunches ;). Have questions about japan or the school? just leave a me a comment!

Fukubukuro

Fukubukuro (福袋) literally "lucky bag" is a "surprise bag" sold at the end of december. Most of the time, you buy it but you don't know what is inside until you open it.

Normally, if the price of the bag is, let's say 10,000 Yen, the content inside is of higher value. For instance, these days, they still had some lucky bags at a local electronic store for around 15,000 yen (150 USD) which were worth about 25,000 Yen (250 USD). They contained a Digital camera and a Digital Picture Frame.

There was a news some time ago, that in Tokyo, the Apple store had this kind of bags and were sold for around 30,000 yen (300 USD). Among all the bags (which mostly contained ipods and accessories) there were few of them with a bigger surprise. The lucky ones, maybe 3 or 4 people, went home with a shiny Macbook (worth over 1000 USD).

I guess, as our teacher said, probably next year, everyone will want to get a Lucky Bag at the Apple store hoping to be the lucky one ;)

Back to School!

We are back, well, almost all of us. Only about half of the class is back. I guess all our classmates are extending their holidays of few days ;)

Class started at full speed and tomorrow we have already the test for Unit 16. As you can see from the picture, the unit 16th talks about Hot Baths in Japan which are called 露天風呂 (ろてんぶろ). It's the first time I hear this word. Before I've heard about 温泉 (おんせん) which means Hot Spring. Apparently the first one is more to define a hot bath in the Open, while the second one is a more general term for a hot bath.

If you want to take a hot bath near Kobe, there is a well known place called "Arima" where they have many Onsens. I went there once. One thing you should know is that in Japan, hot bath are separated for man and women, and another thing is that you cannot wear anything, you have to enter the bath bare naked.

The temperature in Arima, when I went there, was around 42°C. I can tell you that I like to take a nice hot bath at home, but 42°C is really a lot! I could only stay in there like 5 minutes! (and it took me about 10 minutes to manage to enter it slowly!)

If you want to read more, you can find a wikipedia article and few links here.