The Last week

So I said goodbye to all my friends and my hostfamily (it was really painful) and I left for Tokyo again. Luckily all of my European friends were there so I didnt have the time to feel sad! We were staying in the Tokyo Prince Hotel (right next to the Tokyo Tower) and it was a really luxurious hotel!  The first day we only rested a little in the hotel and we got some freetime (we tried to find a sushi restaurant but we didnt so we ended up in a weird hamburger bar)

The second day we went on a trip to Hakone and Kamakura and we stayed at a Japanese style inn! It was really cool! We visited tempels and a giant buddha statue. In the evening we ate Japanese style dinner and we had to wear Japanese style clothings! We also did Karaoke during the dinner but I lost my voice completely due the airconditioning so I couldnt do it :p  I also visited the onsen with Damiano and Paul. Onsen is a Japanese style spa with super hot water! The next day we visited a museum and we went back to Tokyo again.

The next day everyone had to do a 2 minute speach at the MOFA (ministry of foreign affairs) but since my voice was still gone, my speach really sucked! I did do it in Japanese though :) After we returned we had some free time before the final goodbye dinner. So I went to Karaoke with Paul, Damiano, Ives and Paul”s Japanese friend. It was really fun again. After that we had the goodbye dinner.

The next morning everyone was really depressed to have to leave Japan. We packed our bags and there was such a strange feeling hanging in the air. When we drove to the airport everyone was sleeping (we didnt sleep at all in the last night of course (we sneaked out to see Tokyo tower in the middle of the night)). Then at the airport everything went so fast and before we knew it the first flights were about to leave! Lots of people were crying and everyone was so sad. Then I said goodbye to everyone and went to my gate with simone and some other people who flew to paris or amsterdam. Then at our gate we said goodbye for the very last time and it was really emotional!

When I got home my family was so kind to me! I hope they didn’t understand me wrong, because I was really really happy to see them again! But it was just so strange and I had so much mixed feelings that I didnt really realised what happened. Now I’m typing this post one day after I got back and everything just feels like a dream. The best dream I ever had though!  I really hope I will keep in touch with everyone and maybe visit some people within Europe! And after all this, Im sure this wont be the last time I go to Japan!

Hiratsuka, Shichirigahama

So this weekend I went on a trip to Hiratsuka (close to Yokohama) with my hostfamily to meet their daughter Megumi and her husband (Takahashi-san) and their two children, Hyuuga and Ouga. It was truly one of the most beautiful places Ive ever been in my life. Their appartement was on the 10th floor, so we could see the ocean from the window. And when we looked to the left we could see Enoshima (a very beautiful island) and when we looked to the right we could see mount Fuji  (富士山), the famous volcano. When we went there, there was a festival (お祭り) at the local shrine.  It was really fun and the second day they even let me help carrying one of the minishrines (see the pictures :P)Megumi and Takahashi san’s children are really the cutest i’ve ever seen :P We went out to dinner several times all together and it was so much fun! 

Also on the second day we went to Shichirigahama (The filming spot of YUI’s movie Taiyou No Uta) It was so strange, but cool to see the whole set in real live! I even walked the stairs YUI walked in the movie.

Tomorrow is my last day here with my friends and host family, but this truly was a great experience and man, I wish I could live somewhere around Hiratsuka!

YUI – Classmates – Sadnesssss

So yesterday was YUI’s new albums release date and man it was crazy in the store :)  Everywhere posters and rare goods! So ofcourse I bought some hehe

Also, tomorrow I’ll leave for a town near Yokohama (around 4hrs drive) to meet my hostfamilies daughter Megumi :) So I am happy to go there since its one of Japans most beautiful spots, but on the other hand that means that when I return monday evening, Tuesday will be my last day here :(  I cant believe how fast the time went! And dont get me wrong, I do miss my family and friends, but I really dont want to leave :(  that is why I feel really sad and depressed right now. I will miss all my new friends from ichinen hachikumi  even though theyre totally different from my Dutch friends :P I will miss everyone here so much! I really hope I can somehow get the money to come back next year! I will put all my effort in that!

Fuetsu お祭り

Yesterday was the ending ceremony of the Fuetsu school festival, which lasted for 3 days. It was really fun to experience something like this and not only the studying. And also I got a chance to talk to a lot of people and to get to know everyone better. The first day started in the gymnasium where there was a big show with dance and games and stuff like that (grote fuifachtig). After that lots of people came to our school and in every classroom the students had prepared activities. For example we sold popcorn and on the first floor there was a restaurant etc. The second day I had to preform with my Folksong group and we played YUI’s goodbyedays. The performance went kinda well, but unfortunately the stage was really small. After the second day at school we decided to go to Karaoke together and that was a great experience! In fact I’m going again tomorrow with friends :)  When I got home I ate Okonomiyaki, which is my favorite Japanese food! Then the third day there were activities in the gymnasium again like a quiz and other games. After that the ending ceremony started which was really interesting to watch :P  It started with a huge fire with fireworks thrown in it. Then all the students started singing and running around the fire as fast as they could :P It was really strange to do so… Then they did somekind of dance and after that there was a big waterfight! There were two minipools and everyone was crazy and throwing eachother in and it was really fun! After that I quickly got my camera and the Hanabi started (Japanese fireworks). It was really cool to experience this whole festival!

btw: I wonder what it’s like in Holland after the big loss! What an aweful game

You can watch all my pics at http://picasaweb.google.nl/110017226774512603212/JAPAN#

Iida Fuetsu Highschool

I uploaded all my pictures so far again to picasa –> http://picasaweb.google.nl/110017226774512603212/Japan#   unfortunately, I still didnt figure out how to upload movies :P

Since this is a normal schoolweek, and nothing really interesting is happening right now (Schoolfestival starts tomorrow) I might as well make a post about my Highschool; Iida Fuetsu Highschool!

This is the front view

The lockersss

The 1st floor;  my class is the first on the left (hachikumi)

My supercool school slippers

classmates (second girl from the right loves YUI :p)

Yuu, Ryuusei and Oat

cool りゅうせい　:P

A corner of the sports field with (maybe) MtFuetsu in the background

the schoolpool;  its nice to swim when its 32 degrees

View over Iida from the school

Bamboo and a carved rock on the extremely slope way to school

I will try to update soon again! :)

Alles gaat verder nog goed maar de tijd vliegt ZO snel voorbij! Ik realiseer me nog maar nauwelijks dat ik in Japan ben en nu ben ik alweer op de helft!

暑い！！!（Not厚い、thank you Nogami-san >_<)Ｈｏｔｈｏｔｈｏｔ

Its so hot here right now, I can hardly breath :P today it reached about 35 degrees with extremely humid air… perfect condition to sweat yourself to death :o   Today the audition went pretty well, but I think they’ll allow everyone to participate anyway.  I also found out that a girl in my class is a big YUI fan! So she borrowed me Taiyou No Uta and I watched it yesterday (in japanese though xd)  Currently there isnt  much more to tell right now since everything is starting to get normal here :p  Well, yesterday I went on a trip around Iida city to see some nice spots with my hostfamily and it was really nice!  Oh and btw; Im able to follow all the soccer matches here so I’m following Holland too :P

3-7-2010

Thanks everyone for the comments (I read them all :P)! I really appreciate it.

So I learned something new yesterday; Japanese mosquitos are DIFFERENT from European mosquitos! Since the whole school was full, we had to practice folksong club outside and WOW I enjoyed the consequences the next day (look at the picture below) Theyve eaten me alive and it itches so bad :P  Well luckily my hostfamily has some good anti mosquito spray. I’ve also learned again what a hard working country Japan is… That’s because I had to get up at 7:30 today (saturday) to go to school. Yeah, school….

Luckily it was only club repetition for the audition this monday for the schoolfestival (but I think we will make it :p) And also this evening, I went to a sushi bar with my host family. You know the kind were the food is turning around and you can take whatever you like.  It was really delicious! Even though I didn’t really like the Japanese food at the beginning I’m starting to love it! Even the squid was nice :P

@fellow YUI-lovers;  Yay, my hostparents daughter lives in the town next to Shichirigahama (where Taiyou No Uta was filmed) so I can see all the settings from the movie in real life :)