Today I went to school soley to eat lunch with my friends...and then meet in the classroom before walking to Roppongi where the museum was. The National Art Center, Tokyo. It was SO crowded because it's the last week of the Yokoyama Taikan exhibition, and apparently everyone in Japan wants to see his work. -_-' Needless to say, I didn't enjoy the crowding. Half the time I couldn't even see the artwork. There were a few that I really, really liked, though. After much searching, I finally found them online. The name of the painting is Gekka no umi. The way he painted them makes it look really hazy and blend right into the sky. I know it looks like a really simple painting, and the online picture doesn't do it justice, but in real life the painting was amazing. Professor Morland was telling us how the Japanese during his time didn't like them very much, but I absolutely love the way they look. I also really liked this one: Umi, though the online picture doesn't look very nice at all...even I think so, haha. Maybe sometime I'll go see them at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where they are permanently on show; the National Art Center, Tokyo just borrowed them for this "50 years on" exhibit.
On the walk back from the museum, I was talking with Katsuya most of the time, and he was telling me all sorts of weird stories, half of which sounded ridiculous. Like why Tokyo Tower was red. (He said it was to represent the blood from the Korean War. I told him it was just air regulations. XD) One thing I did believe, though, was that the area we were walking through was the place where the Sailor Moon anime took place. It's been years and years since I watched that show (was it really nine years ago?!), but when I reached back in my memory, the streets and shops started looking familiar, hahaha! Katsuya said that there used to be a huge arcade, but now there's restaurants and such in its place now.
On Saturday, Brittany and I are going to try and get tickets to a Gazette live in April. I really, really hope we get tickets! They go on sale on Saturday, and we're going to get them in the morning, so hopefully that'll insure us.
These are the Gazette songs I've been listening to a lot lately. For those of you that actually want to watch/listen to these, hahaha. They all have subtitles.
Guren, their newsest song and my current favorite, is so, so sad. I love the video, though.
Taion The costuming and make up in this is really fantastic. Then again, Gazette's outfits and make up usually are.
I love Silly God Disco purely for the amusing Engrish he's singing. (with subs do you can actually understand the English)
Cassis is my favorite of theirs, from a while ago. It was really hard finding subtitles in a font that didn't ruin the video. It's such a beautiful, beautiful song if you know what it means.
Tomorrow I have my Japanese written exam. I hate studying, but I did study for it...and I'll probably study some more before I go to bed, and when I wake up, haha. Japanese is the only class I actually care about, but it's just too easy right now, so it's extremely frustrating. I feel like Koyama-sensei doesn't push us hard enough, and the quizzes feel like jokes. All of the main campus Temple students I've talked to here say that the Japanese classes back home are much harder than here, so they're not happy about it, either.
This is completely unrelated to Japan...but I'm starting to get really nervous about UMass Amherst. I'm supposed to find out between March and June...and I'm so worried that I won't get accepted for some reason. More than anything, I don't want to go back to Marlboro. I don't know what I would do if I had to go back. Be the most miserable student ever, probably.
Also...I have a question. Is it bad that I don't like going all over the place just for the sake of seeing things before I leave? I know everyone keeps going, "you should see this! you should go there!" but I really don't enjoy doing things like that. I always get so exhausted when I go somewhere for the day (and don't even get to see much), and half the time I feel like it was a waste of time. Plus, whenever I go to those places, I feel like I'm doing it for the people who told me to go there; not for myself. I guess it's just kind of confusing, since I'm studying abroad, and I should be "taking advantage" of being in Japan, but to be straight out honest, I don't enjoy the whole tourism thing, running around and seeing the sights. I started thinking about this today when Katsuya was saying, "Well, if you didn't come here for the art, why are you here?" Is it such a problem to say, "Because I like the culture and just want to be here"? Why does everyone have to have a reason for everything? Sorry, I think I sound like I'm whining now. I don't mean to, but that has always really bothered me, and I hate it when people ask me questions like that.
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Japan is the a huge crowed, before you know it you will love it! I'm pretty sure sailor moon backgrounds were based on Shinjuku but I could be totally wrong.
Maybe it depends on what lever of japanese they put you. I know as a new student here I have to start in the first level of koean along with Aiko who has been speaking korean since she was a kid. Maybe next time you should ask them if they could do an evaluation test or something?
Because there is a reason for everything. I'm in korea because I want to learn how is it to be in the place they were when they emigrated to japan and understand the problem from their point of view. I think you should take advantage and look around, you never know when you will be back. I skiped the piramid in mexico because I said I would be back later, Its been 13 years since XD
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