In one week, I will be going into Portland to take the JLPT. It's a 4 hour test that will test my knowledge of Japanese vocab, grammar, and listening skills. And, like the striving idiot that I am, I signed up not for N5 - the level that my Japanese class covered- but N4. I... Continue Reading →
Kanji Isn’t as Scary as It Looks: an American’s take on learning kanji
What is Kanji? Kanji is one of the three "alphabets" used in Japanese, the other two being hiragana and katakana. All three alphabets are written either horizontally and left to right, or vertically, top to bottom, and right to left. (Review of hiragana and katakana at the end of the blog post.*) Kanji is like... Continue Reading →
How to be a Good Tourist in Japan
Nobody likes looking rude but when you don't know the culture, sometimes you can't help it. It's been a bitter lesson I've had to learn going to school in Japan. I hate looking stupid, and yet, I spent my first week feeling and probably looking stupid, like 9 out of 10 times. I've been in Tokyo... Continue Reading →
When Adventures Are Good but Not Fun: Japan Trip, April 2nd through 5th, 2017
This time in Japan has been characterized by more "how on earth are we going to get out of this?!" adventures and less "going out for tasty food" adventures. The first kind are not enjoyable as they're happening, but they bring with them so much more experience and, after a while, fonder memories. Here are... Continue Reading →
Tokyo Hotel Room Tour: Video
Hi guys! I made it to Tokyo safe and sound. I have a more text-heavy post on its way about my first few days in Tokyo. Until then, I made a video tour of the hotel room I stayed in while my actual accommodations were being prepared. It ended up being an awesome hotel, and way... Continue Reading →
Update: Going to Japan!
Hey all! I'm headed to Japan on April 2nd! I'll be there for three months for a Japanese language course in Tokyo. It feels like I've been waiting for and planning this forever and I can't believe it's finally time to actually go! I'll be documenting my travels here on this blog. Since I'll be there for... Continue Reading →
Country Mouse in the City: How to Survive Out of Your Element
As many of you know, this summer I moved from my comfortable nook in the Pacific Northwestern woods to the bustling city of San Francisco. I've been here for a little over three months and have since learned a few tricks to help country mice like myself survive in San Francisco. Crowds are good. In... Continue Reading →
Kylemore Abbey and the Croagh Patrick Adventure: Ireland Days 3, 4, 5, and 6
Day 3 Ireland is an interesting place and you can really tell that it's an island nation. It's like one big fishing village, except it's not, because it has big cities. It's hard to explain. Everything feels quaint and old. Like there's a proper way to act according to the way things have been done... Continue Reading →
My Tokyo Bedroom: A Travel Blog
I was feeling homesick for Japan, so I decided to show you more of the room I stayed in during February. I spent a lot of time in this room. In other news, grad school decisions are closing in. I was accepted into one in San Francisco, but I'm considering turning it down and applying to... Continue Reading →
Which One’s the Golden Gate Bridge?: Adulting Pt. 1, or a San Francisco travel blog
As it is spring break, a couple friends (let's call them Darius and Cecil) and I decided now would be the best time to road trip down to San Francisco to tour grad schools. Darius and Cecil are looking at art school and I'm looking at getting my masters in writing and as our top... Continue Reading →
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