Just a new day is coming awake, Any dream will do

So it has been one month since my last post. Sadly we still don`t have internet. I am posting from an Osaka manga kissa. (Comic Cafe) These are all the rage these days. When people are cheep or cannot find a room for the night they start to search for these places. For 3000 yen (30 bucks) a night you are promised a booth with a computer and a TV. Unlimited broadband internet use, 12 channels, the all you can drink buffet (no liquor sadly) snacks and sometimes food to order (though those are a seperate charge) most manga cafes have showers to use (for another charge) You can get booths with a "soft floor" which has a mat to lay on. I like these kind. Others have reclining chairs as well as massage chairs. Many have playstation 2s as well. Its not a bad deal when you have no where to stay. 3000 yen gets you a 10 hour pack. (at this one) I have sayed at a place where the 10 hour pack was 1400 yen (14 bucks) It veries depending on the chain. My favorite chain is Manboo (named after the Japanese sun fish) Gera Gera is my second (Gera Gera is the sound a frog makes much like the word "Ribbit") and Media Cafe Popeye is my third. Well that being said it is almost 9 am and I have to get ready to go.

See you next round.
-Lala-

LINKS:
http://www.manboo.co.jp/
http://www.geragera.co.jp/
http://www.mpo.ne.jp/

Kiss me in summer rain

Hello everyone.

Today was our official first day of school. We started it off with a BANG...
from the sky that is. The sky opened up and dropped at least a good 3 inches of rain.
Oddly enough, this is common in Japan. Because Japan is an island nation they are use to suddan rain storms and typhoons so today was part of the norm. What made it bad was that half of us had to be moved to a different building because our classrooms are sperate so we had to walk without umbrellas. So some of us got a free shower. Other than that, the day is going good. I feel good about this school. Steph and I might have gotten placed too low but, in the end I think it`s good for us because we get a chance to improove on our stuff. The teachers are really friendly and I like the teaching style. There are many students from many different places and some speak English and some don`t . In our class there are people from Spain, UK, Hungry, Guiana, China, Korea, and Portugal. We all learned a lot. Well our time is almost up. We hope to have internet in our apartment soon.

See you next round!
-Lala-

Dream Runner

Hello everyone!

We arrived safely in Japan but we`ve had the problem of conflicting schedules. Once school starts we will be seeing each other everyday. The place I'm staying has no internet so we are forced to just make do by watching TV and reading. That being said we've also been train riding.

Albireo

I briefly touched basis on the difference of transportation in Japan. Let's go a little more in depth about each of these.

Travel on train depends on a few things.
1. Where you are going
2. Which line will you be taking
3. How much are you willing to spend.

For long distance travel one would probably use the bullet train (shinkansen) (新幹線)
The inside of these trains could easily be confused for an airplane!

These trains are can reach speeds of 170 MPH (at the fastest) Not all of the shinkansen go this fast. That's were the first comes in. Where are you going? Due to noise pollution regulations many trains have to go slower in residential areas. However for short travel one will for the most part be using the local trains.

While most JR trains are the same, there can be difference depending on how old the line is, how much is it used, and where is it located. In Tokyo most of the trains are less "comfortable" than the shinkansen. The commuter trains are used to haul as many people as possible.

The Yamanote line (Also known as the Tokyo loop line) Has cars that are referred to as "Cattle Cars" these cars have fold up seats that are folded up to help make room for the morning rush. The Yamanote line is the best and worst of Japan's train line. Anyone who rides the Yamanote might think that all of Japan's trains are bilingual and they are always packed. While it's true that Japan has tried to "modernize" them selfs by putting most signs in romaji (wester characters) there are still problems outside of the big cities. For instance. While on the Yamanote line you are given the luxury of signs that say what the next stop is, what lines you can transfer to, and if there are any delays in both English and Japanese. However, after you transfer off that line, you will be greeted by little to no English help and the stop announcements will be in Japanese. While it's helpful it also sets up for a fall. The over crowding on the Yamanote is a problem that will never be solved. Between the hours of 7:00 and 10:00 the trains are impossible to get on as everyone is rushing to their jobs in inner Tokyo. People pushers help get the job done.

Well I've grown tired. Been packing and cleaning all day (though the only you can tell happened was the packing)

Only one more day!!!!

Crazy Going Crazy

As promised I will give a little info about Japan's transportation system.

To start out I will only be talking about Tokyo's transportation because otherwise I would be here until the end of time talking about Japanese transportation.

While Tokyo is the world's 10th largest city it is the city with the world's most effective transportation system. Tokyo's transportation involves trains, subways and bus lines that make any part of Tokyo accessible. There are also other modes of transportation such as Street Cars, Monorails, and Ferries.

Trains first came to Japan in the mid 1800's Japan made it's first commuter train line in 1872 and in 1927 Japan opened it's first subway line. The Toei Bus lines came into affect after many of the street cars were damaged in the "Great Kantou Quake" in 1923.

While traveling in Japan many people will refer to JR lines as "the train" JR stands for Japan Rail a previously government owned railway. JR are the most used trains in Japan. Tokyo's famous "Yamanote line" is JR. I myself have to admit that the number of times I rode a train line other than JR inside of Tokyo can be counted on my fingers. My first being the Keisei Skyliner from Narita to Keisei Nippori. Then I changed to JR Yamanote. Many of the private train lines are owned and operated by big name companies. Seibu Line is owned by the Seibu Group which owns the Seibu Department stores, the Prince Hotel chain, and even the Saitama Seibu Lions baseball team. Seibu, Tobu, and Odakyu lines are all train lines that are associated with Department stores around Tokyo.

The next most popular mode of transportation around Tokyo is the Tokyo Subway lines.
Two companies make up the Tokyo subway lines. Tokyo Metro and Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation or Toei (the same as the bus) The Tokyo Subway lines go places that many train lines can't go. Such as popular tourist spots as Roppongi, Ginza, and Asakusa,

The third most used mode in Tokyo is the bus lines. These are used mostly for locals. They mostly go to suburban areas.

Until recently to transfer from one mode to another has been a task. First you would have to buy a train ticket to whatever stop you needed to go to. Then go to another ticket kiosk and buy the ticket for another transportation mode. While many stations offered transfer tickets to another mode it was still a hassle. Then in 2000 the "Passnet" System arrived and transferring among non-JR line trains became a snap. The Passnet system used a magnetic card to subtract your fare on a refillable card. 22 train lines implemented the system. Not to be outdone, in 2001 JR lines introduced the "Suica" system for JR lines. The Suica system uses a smart card that requires no contact between the card and the machine. In 2007 the Passnet system was replaced by the Pasmo system. Changes included an updated technology, and the addition of the Subway and Bus routs. The Pasmo system uses the same technology as the Suica. For a short time the Pasmo and Suica cards became incompatible and would sometimes cancel each other out if a person owned both a Suica and a Pasmo card. Later in 2007 Pasmo and Suica cards became interchangeable and only one card is needed.

While this post talks about the outside differences of Tokyo's transportation methods next post I'll give you a glimpse inside of each of these. See you next round!

~Lala~

One week and counting

So we have one week left.

YAAAY!!!!

Last night's meeting went off without a hitch. As far as I can tell, everyone's questions got answered. As always if you have ANY questions please e-mail me or you can even comment here.

I'd like to introduce to you the phone of my dreams.

This is the P506ic. An AMAZING phone. I've used it every time I've rented a phone from Japan. I LOVE the camera feature as well as the dictionary. So easy to use. I wish I could use this phone in the USA. I hope I get it this time as well. The Japanese word for cell phone is "携帯" (keitai) this word is the abbreviated form of the word "携帯電話"(keitai denwa) which means "portable belt telephone" It has been shortened to "keitai" which by its self means "portable belt" While it doesn't make sense it's easier to say. Much like the way we say "cell phone" instead of "cellular phone"

Next post I'll talk a little about transportation. See you next round!

Rollin' Rollin' Gambler just going to lose!

So I am finally home in Vegas from my trip to New Mexico to visit family. It was nice to see them but I have to admit it was nice to get back to my own bed.

With two weeks before the trip, things are really heating up! The living arrangements are not 100% complete. The girls had to split up but it's not TOO big of a problem.

We have the last study meeting tonight. (Last before we go and last of the summer) For those who are going we will be discussing the next meeting which will be a PARTY WOOOOOO! It's a farewell party as well as a general information meeting. Parents or family members are invited to attend so that they can get contact numbers as well as see who will be going on the trip.

More information about when it comes.

Miss me?

I doubt anyone is actually reading this at this point in time but,
お久しぶり！(o hisashi buri) [It's been a long time]
This is a greeting you use with a friend that you haven't seen in a while. When talking with friends you can drop the "O" this is formal "O". For those not familiar with the formal "O" I'll give you a quick run down.

In formal (also known as polite) speech in Japanese to make some words formal you add the sound "O" or "Go" to the front of the word. This makes it a polite word and is usable when talking to others who "outrank" you. This speech is known as 敬語 (kei go) It is often called "Honorific" when talking to someone who out ranks you can speak to them in Honorific form or use the "Humble" form. The humble form can only be used when referring to yourself. It makes you inferior to the person who outranks you. Warning!!!! Use humble form carefully! If used wrong it can be insulting and might get you in trouble!!!!

So, back to what my topic was suppose to be about....

The trip is drawing closer and there are still lots of things that need to be taken care of. We're STILL waiting to hear back on the dorm situation. We haven't been able to contact them so it worries me but I'm sure it will work out.

The airline prices have gone up. The original price we payed was $1100.00 and have risen to $1200.00 I know it's not a lot but it still kinda worries me as usual.

While tuition has been paid, the money hasn't been taken out of people's accounts yet it seems.
So for those who have paid your money, you haven't yet! So keep an eye on your bank accounts.
I worry that people will not know and have spent the money and when time comes to pay, will not have it.

Kanji Kentei is approaching as well. I hope that the people who are taking it have been studying! Do your best!

JAPANESE CLUB MEETING THIS FRIDAY!
We will be discussing things about the trip as well as practice for the JLPT exam which the placement exam for ARC will be based off of. We will also be playing a game. HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL THERE!

You know with all this worrying I do you'd think I would have an ulcer by now...

oh wait I do! >_<

~Lala~

Para Para kinda...

Despite my best attempts I couldn't get my friend to learn Para Para steps. He was amazed at how I could do it. I practiced really hard but then I realized that it's something that you encounter at almost all J-pop concerts. For access there are certain dance moves for some songs. I.E. Moonshine Dance, Lyin' Eyes, Look-a-head, and against the rules. Just to name a few. These steps come about usually to mimic the singer/performer. Many of these moves are made by the fans. I believe in the case of Look-a-head the cross over hand motion is fan made during the chorus. The standard move for a song if there is no moves is the "arm pump" I don't know what it's called. The whole audience in unison does this move. I also was able to help convert someone to access again. It's not hard to do though because DA and Hiro are awesome so it just takes a little push. ^_^

Miss me already?

My friend came from Japan to Vegas. We had a lot of fun. It has also been a busy week so far. My allergies are in high gear right now so it hurts to blink.

In more frightening news, Daisuke has his driver's license now. The roads of Japan are no longer safe for people. *laughs* In all honesty though he's probably a better driver than most people here. I say this because driver's tests in Japan are a lot more strict than here. The roads are a lot more dangerous in Japan because of size. Most people complain when they see a two lane road. Or on some of the "smaller" streets they say "This street is too narrow! It's dangerous!" what they don't know is that Japan's roads are half the width of ours here in America. A typical Japanese residential street has just enough space for one care to pass through. If another car is coming the other direction they play chicken and squeeze by each other before getting out of the way. When my friend's wife was in the car with me she commented that American roads were so big, and couldn't believe that people were allowed to park on the street. I asked if that was not allowed in Japan. (all the times I've been there I've never payed attention to that simple fact) she said "absolutely not!" I remember reading about how if a person did not have proof of a place to park their car, then they would not be allowed to register it or get insurance. So it doesn't surprise me to hear that parking on the roads is prohibited.

... I wonder if Hiro will let Daichan drive his car?

Lasik Surgery?

Apparently according to Hiro's (access's singer Hiroyuki Takami) blog he just had Laisk surgery. A lot of my friends on Mixi (A Japanese blog site) seem to be freaking out about it. One has to admit that being "put under" then having people use a laser to fix your eye doesn't sound all that safe but, statistically there are far more successes than failures. No surgery is 100% safe of course but in the grand scheme of things it was probably better for him. He complained of deteriorating sight. So he did something about it. I'm proud of him.

Home remedies

I've been sick the past few days and so has a friend of mine and we were talking about what to do when you can't keep food down. In America when a person is sick we usually recommend chicken noodle soup or broth. Japan has similar practices as well. For instance "お茶漬け" (ochazuke) It is rice that has had tea poured over it. Some people use hot water or a broth as well. It's a very light dish and is easy to swallow. Just like chicken noodle soup you can find that there are people who like it even when they are not sick. Corn soup and Miso soup are often recommended as well. (Though I'm sure there are some people who swear that Miso can cure cancer!) As in America many Japanese people drink orange juice and tea when sick. (Though Japanese consume more green tea than black or herbal teas)

access tour 08'

No theme for the tour yet but here are the dates!

ACCESS SUMMER 2008 TOUR

7/12 - Saitama - Pastel Kazo 6800 yen (doors open at 5:00 live starts at 5:30)
7/17, 7/18 - Tokyo - Nakano Sunplaza 6800 yen (doors open at 6:00 live starts at 6:30)
7/21 - Nagoya - Chuukyou University Culture Center 6800 yen (doors open at 5:00 live starts at 5:30)
7/25 - Osaka - Gran Cube Osaka 6800 yen (doors open at 6:00 live starts at 6:30)

a few things to keep in mind
6800 yen is about 68 dollars. A trick to remembering how much things are in dollar amounts is to drop of the last two numbers. Think of it as 100 yen to the dollar.

When a live start date is posted ALWAYS ADD 10 MINUTES. access NEVER starts their lives (concerts) on time.

"Live" means concert. In Japan when you say the word "concert" it brings up images of orchestras or band or opera not a pop music concert. This comes from the word "Live House" Once again because a "Concert Hall" is for non-pop music, Pop or Jazz or Rock concerts where held in bars or clubs or other places. These places were called "Live Houses" So people would say "Where is the Live House?" Meaning "Where would the group be performing?". It was eventually shortened to "Where is the live?". So today pop and rock concerts are referred to as "Lives" I believe that jazz has joined the ranks of classical music and is referred to as "concert" but I will double check on that.

Another note.
access plays at smaller "Live Houses" some of which are actually "concert halls" Some of Japan's most famous "Live Houses" are "Zepp Houses" Some people know of "Zepp Tokyo" I found (interestingly enough) that some people know of this name from the anime "Gravitation" Zepp Tokyo is a REAL place. There are Zepps scattered all over Japan. Zepp Tokyo, Zepp Osaka, Zepp Fukuoka, ,Zepp Nagoya, Zepp Sapporo and Zepp Sendai. Most "lives" at Zepp are standing room only because the places are relatively small and people stand up for the lives anyways. Many popular overseas artists perform at Zepp.

For more Zepp info check out there web page (Japanese only) http://www.zepp.co.jp/

School Info

Well for those who want to know more about the trip details here are a few things.

1. We will be leaving around 9:00 am on July 1st. From Las Vegas, NV.

2. We will be arriving in Narita Airport on July 2nd.

3. We will be attending ARC Academy in Shinjuku.

4. The dorms are not decided yet.

5. Access will be having a summer tour while we're there. WHO'S GOING? OH OH OH ME!

Hello to everyone!!!

This is Lala!

How are all of you?

Well this is my first post in is what to be a record of my trip to Japan. Until then I'll be spamming you with info about my favorite group "access" and details leading up to the trip and how you can help out!