Archive for June 2010
Anyone who lives, works, or goes to school in Tokyo knows about the Tokyo commute. It’s world-famous–quirky, long, full of light. Of course, a lot of other big cities–New York, Boston, Chicago, London, Paris–have long commutes as well. A commute of an hour or two each way is common in Tokyo, though KCP strives to place students in dorms or homestays with commutes of 60 minutes or considerably less. Some dorms are quite close to the school.
KCP students have provided wise tips for making the best of it–using the time to memorize kanji, going into the women-only cars and studying more comfortably, “working” their hiragana/katakana flash cards, and so on. Though talking on cell phones is discouraged, texting is ubiquitous. In such a long commute, the crowds are amazingly kind (though pushy when trying to make that train).
And here are some interesting thoughts on the commute itself: the ultimate hive-mind.
Matthew Messmer on VEWD
Messmer‘s striking photo essay on vewd.org (a fascinating online documentary magazine) examines the commuting experience.
Tokyo Subway Dynamics
The writer of this piece on links.net, though unidentified, had creative, interesting things to say about benefits of the Tokyo subway plus fun photos.
Subway Sleepers
Fun snooze shots in this photo-essay from someone who calls himself “Born to be Wild.”
Real-World Views
A collection of great tips from VirtualTourist–how to navigate the subway, tips for switching stations, ease of use. Sorry about all the ads.
Tribute
A fine tribute to the Tokyo Underground on the Harvard Crimson, by Kerry Goodenow.
Inventions
From the “Are You Chindogu” movement (more about that later), here are a couple of inventions to help in the commute:
A hat for holding her head as she sleeps.
The chin rest, for sleeping standing up.
Tokyo Metro
The official Tokyo Metro site comes in English if needed and is a great resource.
Metro Manners
And we leave the final word to the montlhy “Metro Manners” posters. Countless folks have enjoyed making up their own captions to the posters and pitching them into the internet.
Tags: fun, KCP, Tokyo lifestyle
Posted in: Japan Context | Comments (0)
This is what KCP alum Kevin Egan had to say about the KCP program–
To those of you new to the culture and language of Japan before, you are in for a treat!
I had already been studying the language for some time Even though I was partially ready for my travels, it was still quite an eye-opener. There were always new places to visit, new things to do, and most important, new people to meet. My first few days in Japan were anxious, but once I got used to Tokyo’s heat and its complicated train system, things eventually worked out—take it from someone who got lost for 3 hours on the first day!
Class was a little strange at first. When I started, it seemed that everyone already knew each other, and the other students seemed to be very experienced in Japanese.
However, I used this to my advantage! Once I met some classmates, they were more than willing to help me with my studies, and they introduced me to more people. This is a good way to find activities to do during the weekend, because, believe me, staying in your dorm or at home is the worst thing you could do.
Since most of my classmates were Korean and I wanted to make friends with them, I spent almost all of my time speaking Japanese (our common language).
By the way, student 2 student, once you know Shinjuku, I recommend a place called Yoshinoya for lunch. You would not believe how much money I saved there by eating cheap. =)
I cannot emphasize enough the benefits of staying with a host family. I stayed with an absolutely wonderful family, and even now, a year later, I keep contact with them via letters and presents to the children. This opportunity may be one of the best reasons to go through KCP and also the best way to experience Japan. The more effort you put into this trip, the more fun you will have.
Currently I am a senior studying Japanese Literature. Graduating will mean a lot to me: I will be able to return to Japan. I plan to continue in-depth instruction in the Japanese language, and also begin my translation work on books and video games.
Tags: Japan, Japanese immersion, opinion, study abroad
Posted in: Student Views | Comments (0)
I just perused some of the newspapers to be found at
http://www.kcpinternational.com/life/living.html
about halfway down the page. Lots of fun stories! Here are some of them–
from Asahi
EDITORIAL: The Hayabusa mission
The space probe Hayabusa lived up to people’s expectations by completing its mission earlier this week.
The initial plan was for the craft to travel 300 million kilometers and touch down on the asteroid Itokawa before returning to Earth. Hayabusa, which means falcon, re-entered the atmosphere Sunday and burned up.
Read more
from Japan Times
So, What the Heck is That? Vader ladies
By ALICE GORDENKER
Dear Alice,
What the heck is with all the Darth Vader impersonators in Japan? You know who I mean: the middle-aged ladies who bike around with menacing-looking windshields attached to their heads. I steer clear because the shields completely obscure their faces and I can’t tell if they see me. Plus, that blank visage is downright creepy. Don’t these women know how weird they look?
Alan H., Tokyo
Read more
Ugly seafood just doesn’t get better
By HILLEL WRIGHT
Among the highlights of any visit to Ibaraki Prefecture could well be Kita-Ibaraki in its far northeast — specifically the towns of Otsu-ko and Hirakata-ko, which offer perhaps the best opportunity in the nation to sample the great winter seafood delicacy of anko (anglerfish)
Otsu-ko is around 2 hours from Ueno Station in Tokyo.
One saying from my junior high school Latin class has stuck with me: De gustibus non est disputandum — which roughly translates as, “There’s no accounting for taste.”
Read more
White T-shirts are anything but boring
By JAE LEE
To some, the white T-shirt is perhaps the least inspiring of wardrobe basics. But according to Ritchie Chan, director of the events planners Triple-Major Co., Ltd., it is quite the opposite.
“I like making things and white T-shirts naturally came to mind — they are the simplest cotton item I can think of,” said the former fashion journalist, who sees the white T-shirt as a blank canvas ready for all manner of creative possibilities.
Read more
Tags: anko, fashion, Hayabusa, Japanese lifestyle, KCP, news sources, Vader ladies
Posted in: Japan/Tokyo News | Comments (0)
We’ve just gotten fresh responses to the exit survey from the fall 2009 and early 2010 programs. We’ll excerpt from this periodically.
Here are answers to two of the questions.
How did you hear about KCP and why did you choose us?
- Referred by a friend; a good length of study for the price.
- Internet (google search for Japanese language courses); an intensive and quick way to learn the Japanese language.
- Through my college Study Abroad program. It was the most rigorous and intensive of the three programs offered.
- Through the Univ. of Southern Maine’s International Affairs dept.; for the university credit.
- In the CCIS catalog. My university doesn’t offer Japanese, and I was extremely interested in learning it.
- studyabroad.com. After getting into an English as a Second language field, I decided that now was the time to pick it up again, as Japan is a prime job market for ESL.
What teachers (sensei) do you recommend?
- Anraku-sensei, Miyake-sensei, and Kawamura-sensei helped me improve my Japanese greatly.
- Kawamura-sensei, Saito-senseii, and Kamisaka-sensei, all fantastic intructors, made me want to impress them.
- Kamisaka-sensei, Iwai-sensei, and Saito-senseii are all excellent.
- Saitou Yoshihiro-sensei is KCP’s most valuable staff member–a highly-skilled presenter and positive persinality.
- Uematsu-sensei, Kono-sensei, and Saito-sensei went above and beyond to help me.
- Anraku-sensei makes her classes interesting.
- Morinaga-sensei is extremely helpful; her encouragement is more than enough to keep me motivated and studying.
- Konno-sensei (because she is KCP’s most beautiful sensei)
- Suzuki-sensei is the best! She explains everything clearly and gives off fun energy for learning. Takastu-sensei is always funny and very concerned with my progress. Imae-sensei acts everything out hilariously and creates a game show atmosphere.
- Konno-sensei is lively, pleasant, involves us, and often deviates from the textbook with real-life scenarios.
- I highly recommend all three of my teachers: Yamada-sensei, Konno-sensei, and Kawamura-sensei.
- Takatsu-sensei and Suzuki-sensei were both excellent.
- Kawamura-sensei and Anraku-sensei always come prepared and keep us motivated.
- Morunaga-sensei is absolutely wonderful.
Previous comments from students
Tags: Japanese immersion, Japanese instruction, KCP, opinioni, study abroad
Posted in: KCP Program | Comments (0)
