Second hand goods

Japan is a good place to find cheap and good quality second hand stuff. Clothes, kitchen supplies, electrical appliances, bags... you name it and you can probably find it at some of the locations below.

1) Flea Market @ Tachiaigawa
A group of us went to check out the flea market in Tachiaigawa (立会川) today. I think it's definitely one of the best ones in Tokyo. Many stores and reasonable prices. Never pass up the chance to haggle for a lower price.

If you look around you can find some pretty good finds here. My roommate, Lisa, got a guitar with strings for 900yen and Andrew got a Yamaha one (w/o strings) for 1500yen.

You'll be able to find lots of clothes here to help survive the impending freezing cold in January and February. Winter jackets and lot of other clothes go for about 1000yen.

Check out the website for a map of the flea market- http://trx.jp/en/guide_2.php?pid=1&std=1

2) Book Off

All locations sell books, CDs and DVDs. But there are several locations that sell second hands clothes, electrical appliances, bags, sport equipments, camera, instruments... etc...

*** There are special days of discounts on the 10th, 20th and 30th of every month. On the 10th- 10% off, 20th- 20% off, 30th- 30% off.

We went to the one at Odakyunagayama (多摩永山) and had a really wonderful day of shopping. We bought things for our hiking trip to Nikko as well as some winter wear.

http://www.bookoff.co.jp/shop/shop71002.html

Check out the Book Off website for more information- http://www.bookoff.co.jp/buy/superbazaar.php?visual=bnr_tvcm



3) Bazaar @ Hiyoshi International House (HIH)

If you live in the dorms near Hiyoshi (Plume IS, Shimoda, HIH) I highly recommend checking the bazaar out for cheap and useful stuff.

By far the cheapest place for really nice stuff. It's usually held in one of the Lounges in HIH. There is not a lot to choose from because it is not very big but there's lot of random things you can get here for cheap.

I bought an electrical blanket (new) for 800 yen, 2 coats for 300yen and 500 yen, and 2 cups for 10 yen each. The 100 yen stores are great but you'll save more money if you can get most the things for your apartment here.

They hold the bazaar once after move-in (September/October) and also once in winter (November). I am not sure if they will have it again in Spring/Summer but the HIH bazaars are definitely worth checking out especially if you live around Hiyoshi.

4) Second hand clothes store in Jiuyuugaoka (自由が丘)

10 minutes walk from the station. Ask around for GAP and it's on the street adjacent to GAP where there is a row of trees and benches in the middle of the path. (If you can't find it, just walk around Jiuyuugaoka- it's a wonderful place to explore)


Will update if I find more cool places that sell second hand stuff.

Employment

Some good news. I started my job today as a tutor. It's not much about 1500yen per hour but it's better than nothing. I am charging below market rate because my student is an acquaintance that I got to know through another friend. She seems interested in continuing lessons with me so I am happy that at least I will have some kind of employment to support my expenses here in Tokyo.

I also got a one-time assignment for an English voice recording job yesterday. I got 5000yen for that one hour. It's awesome money but unfortunately it is only a one-time thing.

外国人日本舞踊大会- Performing Traditional Japanese dance

I just found out about an exciting event today. I may be able to learn some traditional Japanese dance and perform it in June 2012. I am going to miss two practices but I really hope I can participate. I just emailed them in my terrible Japanese but I hope they can understand and will respond soon.

I am so excited because I have been looking for a place to take up traditional Japanese dance. I also really love to perform so I really hope I get it.

If any of you guys are interested, do check out their webpage. It seems like this is a yearly event so for those of you who are coming next year- look out for their recruitment poster on their webpage.

http://www.npo-japa.com/index.html

They also have other cultural exchange programs and events so check out the page for more info.

Trip to Matsuyama

I have been on several trips but I haven't really blogged about them yet. I went to Matsuyama　（松山） when my friend Eiji came back to Japan (from SF) for his yearly visit home. I don't have classes on Monday and only have one class on Tuesday so I skipped that and declared that weekend my own holiday. Matsuyama was a very interesting place. There are a lot of good udon　（うどん） and okonomiyaki　（お好み焼き） places that Eiji took me. Living in Tokyo has been insanely expensive so Matsuyama is a nice change because EVERYTHING was really cheap in comparison. They had free bike rental at my hotel so I biked everywhere and didn't have to worry about transportation costs.

I tried an onsen　（温泉） for the first time in Matsuyama. For those of who may be afraid of being naked in front of strangers... well let me just say that it is a very liberating experience. Eiji and I went together but males and females are separated so we just set a time to meet in the lobby. I think because I was by myself that it made getting naked a lot easier. I imagine it to be a little awkward if it's among friends.

The Onsen experience was just so relaxing. I liked it so much I went back to the onsen with Eiji every night of my trip. This onsen was near the Matsuyama JR station and was 550円　each time. They have lockers for you to put your things in but just remember to bring 2 towels- one (face towel size) to wash yourself with before entering the bath and another (bath towel) to dry yourself with. If you don't have them, I think they can provide you with them for a charge.

Matsuyama is a nice quiet town near the sea- it may not be exciting like the cities but it is wonderful relaxing place with lots to discover. I do recommend going there if you are looking for an adventure away from the city.

Getting there: I took the overnight buses from Yokohama to Matsuyama (they have many other stops like Shibuya, Shinjuku etc.) which cost me 13000円 round trip. I got it a week before my trip so that's why it was more expensive. But the bus is still a lot cheaper than any of the other transportation- shinkansen was twice this price and flights were close to 60000円

Getting around: As I mentioned earlier, bike rental are really cheap and often free at your hotel/hostel so check with them before you make your booking.

Accommodation: I paid 3800円 per night @ Hotel Taihei. They have two hotels and I stayed at the older one. Its location is convenient and they offer free internet and bike rental for the entire duration of your stay (even for the day that I checked out) It's comfortable and have non-smoking rooms.

Food: Check out small places hidden in corners. Mochi in Matsuyama are really delicious-ask around for places that are well-known for their mochi. Udon is also really good in Matsuyama so try it while you are there too.

Living in Tokyo- Inner City Pressures

For those of you who got the Flight of the Conchords reference in the title- Good for you! haha... if not, you can always youtube it.

I am grateful that I am studying abroad in Japan but there are times that I regret studying here in Keio because 1) Living in Tokyo is very expensive 2) there are not that many classes at Keio to choose from so I end up taking classes that I am not really interested in. I am having a lot of fun with my other friends and meeting many wonderful people but the Japanese society in general is quite stressful. This invisible pressure may not be noticed by everyone but I feel it because I grew up in Singapore and Hong Kong where there are similar pressures by the society to fit in. This feeling is very hard to explain to people who don't grow up in that kind of environment. Not only are you expected to fit in but you are always constantly being judged all the time- especially in public places by random strangers.

I lived in the US for 4 years and I forgotten how intense this pressure could be. It is not paranoia but just something that some people are oblivious to. To be honest, I am kind of envious and wish that I have the luxury of not being aware. Sometimes, ignorance is really bliss.

This is not to discourage anyone who wants to come to Japan for their study abroad. I am still having a really wonderful experience but it's just something that bothers me from time to time.

Climbing mountains

There are many opportunities to be close to nature in Japan, even in a metropolis like Tokyo. Before we officially start classes at Keio and Waseda, a few of us went to climb Mt Tanzawa (丹沢山). The whole trip was actually 4 mountains because we went up and down several peaks before the highest peak. It was also raining heavily on our way up so I got really grouchy on the ascend. We were lucky to find Miyama-sansou (みやま山荘), a hut which we were able to stay at overnight. It was expensive- about 7700円　per person, which includes a place to sleep, dinner and breakfast. There are no shower facilities but there's a toilet bowl that warms up. You could tell we were newbies to mountain climbing because all our clothes were soaked even though they were in our backpacks (all except for Mas' stuff cos he put all his stuff in plastic bags because his bag is not waterproof).

So here are the top 3 tips for newbies like myself (will sound stupid to experienced hikers)

Tip 1: Put EVERYTHING in plastic bags. Bring extra plastic bags just in case.
Tip 2: Bring water and lots of snacks because it will be a long hike
Tip 3: Bring a lighter (or salt) because there are leeches on this trail and you might need these things to get rid of them


I definitely recommend doing this climb but be warned that you might not be able to walk for 2-3 days after the climb because your legs will feel like jelly. I live on the 4th floor of Hiyoshi Int. House and those stairs were my enemy for the next 2 days after our climb.

Here are also some of our pictures of the climb. You can see Mt Fuji from here and it's beautiful.


Also check out the website below for more info about this hike or if you want to look for more hiking and mountain trails. The author is an excellent climber so when he says it's 3/5. It's damn hard...
http://japanhike.wordpress.com/2008/04/08/mt-tanzawa/

Get the JR pass if you can

If you are entering Japan as a tourist or if you are Japanese national with proof of overseas residency (California driver's license/ID for most UC students), I highly recommend getting a JR Pass before you leave the US. For those of us going to Keio, we weren't able to get our student visas in time before we came to Tokyo so we came in with tourist visas. The benefit of coming with tourist visas is that I was eligible to buy a JR pass which costs me US$353 for a 7-day pass. It gives me unlimited rides on all JR lines and buses including Shinkansen (with the exception of Nozomi trains). With the pass, I went to Kyoto for 4 days, a day trip to Nagoya and probably another short day trip tomorrow.

The mandatory orientations made it difficult to have a long trip but I still highly recommend it because it allows to travel within Tokyo on all JR lines too.

You can only get the voucher for JR pass outside of Japan and exchange it for the actual pass in JR stations in Japan.

Farmer's Market (and other places for cheap ingredients)

Eating out is getting kind of expensive for me so I have been cooking a lot for the past month. So, I am recommending these few places where you can get cheap and good ingredients for your meals.

1) Farmer's Market every weekend outside UN University

Get off at Shibuya Station on the Yamanote line and it's a 10 minutes walk from the station. There are some really good deals there, especially peaches (now that they are in season). There are also some samples for you to try while you are there. But overall, things here can be a bit expensive and is not my favorite place to go.

2) Tsukiji Fish Market

Many students will likely wake up at 4am to try and get in to Tsukiji Fish market to watch the morning bidding. I didn't manage to get there in time so I missed that but the market around Tsukiji offers some of the best deals for vegetable and fruits. The EAP students are living in Takadanobaba this summer so it's a little further than Shibuya but if you are looking to buy a lot, I think this is one of the best place to go

3) Takashimaya (basement supermarket)

Everything else in this building seems to be high end designer stuff but the supermarket in the basement of Takashimaya is possibly one of the best place to get seafood. The seafood here is really fresh and affordable. It is a lot cheaper than the seafood I was getting from Seiyu, a supermarket near Weekly Mansion, the place we are living at right now. To make a trip here even more exciting, just walk through the basement to sample different kinds of food by various vendors. You are not obliged to buy after eating so just try them for the experience.

4) Shin-Okubo

This is probably Korea-town in Tokyo. There are many Korean supermarkets where you can get your supplies of kimchi and othr Korean treats. There is a really wonderful small shop where they sell many different kinds of ingredients for Asian cuisines- Chinese, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese...etc... I can't remember the name of the shop even though I have been there many times but I will take a picture the next time I go and update it then. But there are many other supermarkets that you can check out in this area. Did I mention that the Korean restaurants here have the most delicious Korean BBQ (the best I have ever tasted thus far!)?

5) Koenji

Jojo, one of the guys on the EAP program, brought us to Koenji this past weekend and I am in love with this little neighborhood. There are many 2nd-hand clothing stores that you can go to and there are also supermarkets here that have slightly cheaper prices than the ones in Takadanobaba. I recommend coming here for a whole day to explore the area and then going to the supermarkets to buy your groceries before heading home. You have to transfer from the Yamanote line but Koenji is not far at all. This is a wonderful place in Tokyo that you can definitely go to. There are many good restaurants here too. Check out Fatz's Burger and a Vietnamese Pho place while you are here.

Temples in the middle of Shinjuku

These were 2 temples that we saw while we were walking around in Shinjuku. It was quite a unique experience going to the temples. The temples are quiet and peaceful and much needed in the midst of all the crowds and traffic in this busy city.






One of the temples were preparing for a Bon Dance Festival, which is an annual festival in the summer (from July) to honour the dead. They were setting up drinks and food for the even that evening.

A day in 原宿 (Harajuku）

I went on the weekend to Harajuku. As you can see from the photos, it's very crowded in Harajuku, probably more so that it's the weekend. Harajuku is famous for being a hub of fashion with many stores selling trendy clothes to both women and men. I was trying to save money so I didn't buy any clothes. But I did eat beef rice bowl at 吉野家 (Yoshinoya) at Harajuku which was tasty but inexpensive. There was a man dressed up in a costume of sorts outside of Yoshinoya and he was wearing a hat with two fishbowls. If you look closely, you can see that there are 2 live goldfish inside.





Then I just walked around Harajuku and I ended up buying a pair of glasses for 3990円 (about US$45) which includes frame and lenses. The best part was they were ready in 30 minutes. I walked around the district and ate some たこ焼き(takoyaki）while I waited and it was delicious. They are in many places around Tokyo and are generally cheap snacks that vistors should try.

乾杯! (Kanpai)

After the delicious Sio Ramen, we continued our adventure in Takadanobaba. We went back to the Weekly Mansion to meet up with the others and from there walked around the area to try to find a place where we can drink. We finally found a place with the help of a local. We were asked if we wanted to sit upstairs in a private room because the main bar was full. The private room was really nice but we found out later that there was an extra service charge (400円 per person) for drinking there.





The two drinks I had were really good. Unfortunately I don't their names because it was all written in 漢字(Kanji) but here are the pictures of some of the drinks that we had.



This was after I mixed the blue and red liquor into the drink.



Yeah! 乾杯!




ROUND 2:






The alcohol content in the drinks was low because I didn't feel tipsy like I usually would after one drink. It's also not really expensive- about 410円 per drink.

We decided to head back to Weekly Mansion afterwards because we were undecided about what to do. We passed by ポプラ, the convenience store near the Weekly Mansion where some of us bought more drinks. Both Beau and I were not fans of beer but for some reason we both bought one each. It had 7% alcohol and was honestly quite horrible tasting. On our way back, we decided to go back to Kati's room to play 終極密碼 (zhong zi mi ma) a number guessing/drinking game that has been popularized by Taiwanese game shows. Not wanting to drink our beers anymore, Beau and I mixed our beers into a "cocktail of death" as the forfeit of each round.

I know this sounds kind of evil but it was super fun watching other people drink up all of our shitty beer. The expression on their faces: Priceless.

がんこラーメン (must try ramen place in Takadanobaba)

Last night, a couple of us decided to hang out around Takadanobaba. It was somewhat on impulse that we decided to go to がんこラーメン (Ganko Ramen). The restaurant is about 20 minutes walk from Weekly Mansion (where we are staying). It was raining quite heavily and when we got there, we saw that it was a small restaurant covered in a black tent with a gigantic bone hanging on the outside. It looked dark from the outside and we were all a little suspicious at first because none of us wanted to be the first one to try to open the door. When finally we decided to go in because it was silly to just keep standing in the rain, we saw that the restaurant is really small and can only fit 5 people. Luckily, our group was exactly 5.



The price of the ramen (700円) may be higher than some other places but this place is the real deal. You really have to come to this place if you are in Tokyo- the ramen is really really delicious. The owner recommended the Sio Ramen (with hot chicken oil) so we all ordered the same thing. The pork was so tender, it felt like it was melting in my mouth and the soup base was so tasty (especially when you add the minced green pepper to the soup). Just one word to describe it: Wow!

If you are in Tokyo, don't miss out on this ramen place. Needless to say, I'll be back there a couple more times while I'm still living in Takadanobaba.

Orientation at ICU

I was a little lazy after arriving in Tokyo but since today is Saturday and I have more time to rest, I'm backlogging some of the things that happened this week. We had an orientation at ICU on Thursday and for all those who are going there to study, well lucky you because the campus is really beautiful. The whole time I was there, I felt a little closer to nature. I could smell the grass and hear birds and crickets as I was walking around the campus. I heard that it's really beautiful when the cherry blossoms bloom so I'll definitely be back to see that in April. Here's a picture of the campus in the summer. Beautiful isn't it?

プリクラ! (Purikura!)

Today is also my first Purikura experience here in Tokyo. I still remember NeoPrints machines- probably the first generation of these photo booths. It's been about 4 years since my last Purikura in Singapore. The machines in Tokyo are so advanced that they can even email two of your favorite shots to your cell phone. Amazing right? And they cost only 400円 (US$4.50) -definitely much cheaper than those in Singapore and US.

If you are thinking why my eyes look kind of weird, well... it's because the machines have a special feature that makes your eyes bigger. Personally I don't really like it cos my eyes look fake. Plus it doesn't really help my eyes that much. Even with that function in the Purikura machine, my eyes STILL look small!!

Here are two of the shots. (^-^)

First impression of Japan

I arrived safely in Tokyo on Tuesday. The immigration officers were lenient on me and allowed me entry into Japan with my one-way ticket and tourist visa. I had my ferry ticket to S.Korea just in case but they never asked to see it.



The airport and the trains were very efficient and convenient. I managed to change some US currency for Japanese Yen at the airport but the rates now are really bad. It was US$1= 75.4 Yen. I heard from Asuka the exchange rate a few months ago were US$1= 95 Yen.

I took the photo below while we were riding the Skyline from Narita Airport to Takadanobaba Station (where I'm staying). The Shinkansen was really fast and comfortable. It is no wonder that Japan has one of the best transportation in the world.



I thought I will have quite a bit of cultural shock but so far I feel strangely at home. This is partly because parts of Tokyo seem like Hong Kong and parts of it feels like Singapore. There is still a language barrier but most Japanese are really friendly and helpful. I use broken Japanese- bits of Japanese words that are not coherently put in a sentence. I have a few favorite phrases- ありがとうございます、大丈夫、またね！、どういたしまして、どうぞ。

Some of the people here try to speak to me in Japanese because I can pass off as a Japanese even though I personally don't think I look like one (it might be my small eyes). I hope that I don't come across rude because I can sometimes say the wrong things with my limited Japanese.

日本料理はとてもおいしい！(Japanese food is super delicious) I ate some delicious ramen with Asuka before I checked in to my apartment and just now I ate some super fresh sushi with Laurel, another EAP student on the ILP program. It only cost me US$6. After eating the sushi here, I wonder if I'll ever want to eat sushi in the US.





As I'm blogging this, I am watching CSI Miami in Japanese- it is really entertaining and the high-pitch voice actress has a normal voice in this Japanese dub of the series. Yeah!

My jet lag is actually a good thing. I am now sleeping at 11pm and waking up at 7am. Finally, I have the schedule of a normal person.

I'll also try to remember taking pictures of the food before I start eating. I just can't help it sometimes.

Ready, set, Go!

I'm now waiting to board my flight. It was a little sad as I wave goodbye to my family and boyfriend at the departure gate but I'm excited to explore and go on an adventure in Japan.

Will set foot in Japan in 10.5 hours. Bye SF!

Things always work out for the better

Earlier I was complaining about Keio's inefficiency in issuing COE to its students and causing us a lot more trouble since we have to enter as tourist when we arrive in Japan. Well, it now seems that this is a blessing in disguise because I am able to buy a JR pass. The JR pass is an affordable way to travel around Japan only for tourists who have a "temporary vistor" stamp on their passport.

The 7-day JR pass seems quite expensive at first (US$353) but I heard that if you buy a roundtrip Shinkansen ticket to Osaka or Hokkaido (somewhere really far from Tokyo), it will already cost you $300 so $50 more seems like a really good deal. Here's the website for all those who are interested. http://www.histravelonline​.com/jrpass/

If I had received the COE in time to apply for the student visa, well, then I wouldn't have been eligible to use the JR pass. I ended up buying a one-way refundable ferry ticket to S.Korea as proof that I am leaving Japan within 90 days. I read on many forums that some flights might not let you board the plane if you don't have proof of leaving the country as specified by your visa.

I'll update my plans to explore Japan with my JR pass. 2 more days to the start of my adventure in Japan! Nervous but really excited!

FUNKY MONKEY BABYS「ちっぽけな勇気」

Flores sensei sent the link of this song to my Japanese 1C class. I really like this song and my goal is to memorize the lyrics so I can sing it in karaoke! The rap part will be really hard because it's so damn fast.

I wasn't able to copy the lyrics in this post so see the link below for the lyrics of this song.

http://music.goo.ne.jp/lyric/LYRUTND52628/index.html

Countdown: 13 days to go

It's less than 2 weeks to the date of my departure and there seems to be still a lot that I have to do. My parents, being the concerned parents that they are, want me to pack almost the whole house with me to Japan- clothes (for all the 4 seasons), blankets, pillow, a pot, utensils, mug, bowl, shoes...etc...

I don't really want to overpack but I think they have a point that I'll need a blanket and pillow and probably a small pot to cook. I am also thinking that taking so much with me will make it hard for me to travel if I decide to go to other countries after my program ends. It feels like deja vu since I went through the same thing when I was moving from SF to Irvine last August. It was on hindsight that I wish I didn't packed so much. I want to pack only the necessities for my year in Japan but everything seem like a necessity right now. I don't really want to buy things I could have gotten from home especially since the US$ is so weak in comparison to the Japanese Yen.

Well, there's not many days left before my departure so I better do a little more packing before I go to bed tonight.

Trouble with COE and visa

I don't understand how the other universities can issue the COE on time and Keio can't. They explained that the delay is caused by the recent earthquake and tsunami. It's understandable because they have a lot more to deal with after the recent tragedies and the COEs are not their priority but I heard the same thing happened two years ago for the 2009-2010 UC students going to Keio. I don't know anyone from the study abroad program 2010-2011 so I can't say that it happens every year but I really hope that this won't happen to the study abroad students going to Keio next year.

It's quite frustrating as I scramble to find the cheapest way to get to Tokyo under a tourist visa. To enter as a tourist, you are required to have a round trip plane ticket but since I'm only traveling there one-way until a year later, I'll have to pay $300 more if I get a changeable round trip ticket. I'm now waiting for a response from the immigration office in Tokyo to find out if I can just take the ferry to S.Korea to show that I'm leaving Japan within 90 days. It's much cheaper (10,400 yen) than if I get a round trip plane ticket and the cancellation fee is only
300 Yen if I do so 7 days prior to my trip.

Please please please let me enter Japan with the one-way Ferry ticket to S.Korea. I really want to save the money so I can use it to travel when I'm in Japan.

Getting ready for an adventure

To all who will chance upon my travel blog.

はじめまして！私はRachelです。今、UCIの三年生です。今年の七月日本に行くつもり。九月、Keio 大学で勉強します。

It's almost one month to the date of my departure to Japan. As part of my EAP Japan program, I'll be going to Tokyo to first go through 2 months of intensive japanese language classes, which I'm sure will better prepare me for my year in Japan.

As you can see from the 5 sentences above. My Japanese is quite limited and kind of rusty ever since the Spring quarter ended. I will try to read my textbook a little before I leave for Japan. If not, I'll have to rely on gesturing and smiling when I'm there.

My goal is to document as much of my experience on this blog of my year abroad in Japan, not only for me to look back 10 or 20 years later and remember all the adventures I had when I was younger but also for those of you who are interested in the Japanese culture or thinking about going to study abroad in Japan (or any other countries).


Feel free to leave comments or ask questions. I'll answer them as best as I can. =)
Counting down... 34 days to go.

Exploring the world. One step at a time.
Rachel~*