Danjiri = Dangerous
Door: Laurens
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Laurens
09 Oktober 2016 | Japan, Osaka
Hello everybody!
Before I start the real story today, there are 2 things that I'd like to mention. 1: It was brought to my attention that I never let you know how things ended with what kanji class level I am now taking. When I showed a teacher at the student office a form I had filled in to figure out my kanji level, they agreed that I should probably take kanji level 1. However, when that teacher asked me what my grammar level was and I replied with 3, the teacher told me that kanji level 2 was the lowest level I could take... So I've been taking kanji level 2 ever since and been working hard on it!
2: I was asked to make a video of the university campus, to give you guys an idea of what it looks like. As much as I would love to do that, the campus is WAY TOO HUGE (around 50 buildings) to do that. So instead, I took a number of pictures that I hope will give you some idea of what it's like :)
So, lets start this week on Wednessday. Because on Wednessday there was another typhoon and all classes for the day got canceled... After I arrived at school, of course -.- That day I ended up going to the biggest Aeon Mall I've ever seen in my life, with Zach. We first walked around in a second hand store right next to it, the wandered around the gargantuan mall. Have you even been in a "Bijenkorf"? The building would probably fit about 6 of those!!! But instead of a warehouse it is simply a collection of various shops. We eventually ended up having a delicous dinner there before we returned to the dorm. Having picked up some beer beforehand, the night lasted for a very long time and was a lot of fun! We watched some YouTube videos, had some discussions, and ended up using google maps to show each other where we grew up. This was especially interesting!
Then on Friday, there was a GS-Network lunch on the central lawn. Luckily, Thursday and Friday had extremely good weather! Nothing but blue sky, lots of sun, and a gentle breeze to make the sun bearable :D So I got myself a lunch box from a local store, went to the lawn, and soon found people I know. So we sat down on a large sail and enjoyed a lunch that was waaaay too short! Met some new people as well, some Japanese, some from other places. All in all a great event!
On Saturday my aikido suit finally arrived! Because I will start training next Thursday!!! I'm SOOOOO EXCITED about that!!! :D Also, in the evening, I went to a party that was organised by some people I met during the Futsal event. It was in Kobe, in a bar that seemed no stranger to foreigners. We had a 1 hour period for happy-hour but I was there for about 3 hours. Met I few people I remembered from Futsal, a few people I know from school, and lots of new people! This party was titled "English Party" however, so I did not speak a lot of Japanese that night XD Only when I got on the train back and it turned out one of the Japanese people I met at the Futsal event was heading the same way.
After a night like that, I would have liked to sleep in of course! But alas for me, no such thing! Because today I went to the infamous Kaizuka Danjiri festival in Osaka! Me and Sarah could even get a ride with the dorm supervisors, Yoshi and Chiyo. Yoshi grew up in that part of Osaka, so he'd been there many times and knew all the handy shortcuts! It is a very interesting, yet also dangerous festival. Each Japanese city is devided in a number of Cho, or district. For this festival, each Cho makes a wooden palanquin/shrine (handmade, takes about 4 years to make and costs about 1,6 million yen, or 14.000 euro. They're funded from donations by the inhabitants of the Cho!). And with these wooden palanquins/shrines (on wooden wheels) THEY RUN THROUGH THE STREETS AND AROUND CORNERS!!! I've added pictures and video's in the hopes of giving you guys some idea of what it's like, but is was really indescribable to me!
So yeah, quite the week! Quite the week indeed. Probably write to you guys again next week! Bye-
Laurens
Before I start the real story today, there are 2 things that I'd like to mention. 1: It was brought to my attention that I never let you know how things ended with what kanji class level I am now taking. When I showed a teacher at the student office a form I had filled in to figure out my kanji level, they agreed that I should probably take kanji level 1. However, when that teacher asked me what my grammar level was and I replied with 3, the teacher told me that kanji level 2 was the lowest level I could take... So I've been taking kanji level 2 ever since and been working hard on it!
2: I was asked to make a video of the university campus, to give you guys an idea of what it looks like. As much as I would love to do that, the campus is WAY TOO HUGE (around 50 buildings) to do that. So instead, I took a number of pictures that I hope will give you some idea of what it's like :)
So, lets start this week on Wednessday. Because on Wednessday there was another typhoon and all classes for the day got canceled... After I arrived at school, of course -.- That day I ended up going to the biggest Aeon Mall I've ever seen in my life, with Zach. We first walked around in a second hand store right next to it, the wandered around the gargantuan mall. Have you even been in a "Bijenkorf"? The building would probably fit about 6 of those!!! But instead of a warehouse it is simply a collection of various shops. We eventually ended up having a delicous dinner there before we returned to the dorm. Having picked up some beer beforehand, the night lasted for a very long time and was a lot of fun! We watched some YouTube videos, had some discussions, and ended up using google maps to show each other where we grew up. This was especially interesting!
Then on Friday, there was a GS-Network lunch on the central lawn. Luckily, Thursday and Friday had extremely good weather! Nothing but blue sky, lots of sun, and a gentle breeze to make the sun bearable :D So I got myself a lunch box from a local store, went to the lawn, and soon found people I know. So we sat down on a large sail and enjoyed a lunch that was waaaay too short! Met some new people as well, some Japanese, some from other places. All in all a great event!
On Saturday my aikido suit finally arrived! Because I will start training next Thursday!!! I'm SOOOOO EXCITED about that!!! :D Also, in the evening, I went to a party that was organised by some people I met during the Futsal event. It was in Kobe, in a bar that seemed no stranger to foreigners. We had a 1 hour period for happy-hour but I was there for about 3 hours. Met I few people I remembered from Futsal, a few people I know from school, and lots of new people! This party was titled "English Party" however, so I did not speak a lot of Japanese that night XD Only when I got on the train back and it turned out one of the Japanese people I met at the Futsal event was heading the same way.
After a night like that, I would have liked to sleep in of course! But alas for me, no such thing! Because today I went to the infamous Kaizuka Danjiri festival in Osaka! Me and Sarah could even get a ride with the dorm supervisors, Yoshi and Chiyo. Yoshi grew up in that part of Osaka, so he'd been there many times and knew all the handy shortcuts! It is a very interesting, yet also dangerous festival. Each Japanese city is devided in a number of Cho, or district. For this festival, each Cho makes a wooden palanquin/shrine (handmade, takes about 4 years to make and costs about 1,6 million yen, or 14.000 euro. They're funded from donations by the inhabitants of the Cho!). And with these wooden palanquins/shrines (on wooden wheels) THEY RUN THROUGH THE STREETS AND AROUND CORNERS!!! I've added pictures and video's in the hopes of giving you guys some idea of what it's like, but is was really indescribable to me!
So yeah, quite the week! Quite the week indeed. Probably write to you guys again next week! Bye-
Laurens
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