Tokyo Swan 6: Shibuya Night Life

So in this episode, after a long week of studying I figured it was time to visit the exciting section of Shibuya for some well deserved fun. I was going to school for nearly 20 hours a week in the fall semester, so I was working really hard and needed to make sure I had some fun outside of class just to keep myself from burning out. Shibuya is a great place, and it's a place I've been to many times. There's just so much to see and do there, tons of shopping and places to hang out, have a drink, go clubbing, or just wander around aimlessly.

It was also cool for me, as Shibuya is often seen in a lot of movies that take place in Japan. It was neat to be in the same place as the characters from "lost in translation," or "fast and the furious: tokyo drift." Probably the most well known part of shibuya is the big crossing just outside the station. Here, swarms and swarms of people cross the street to reach the various shops, and it's just amazing to see everything at night when it's all lit up.

Of all the places around Tokyo, Shibuya remains one of my favorites. It's got a lot of energy, and I had many good times there. I hope I'll be able to return there someday!
rodger

Besancon, France: Day 2

Today (day 2) we visited the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and l'eglise St. Sulpice. I stopped at every magazine store possible looking for FUSAC, the French-USA-Connection magazine with classified ads so I can look for possible babysitting jobs. I would love a way to earn extra Euros while here so I can feel better about buying things I don't necessarily need.

7:28 p.m.- 1/06/08
I arrived at my host mom's (chez Francoise) an hour ago. She is so nice! Her house is beautiful and comfortable to boot. I was just at the Hotel du Nord with the other students when Francoise came and picked me up. She was the first person to come. We left in a hurry- it seemed like she was in a rush. I met one american student living with Francoise named Marta who comes from Boston, and another named Ashley from Nebraska. In a few minutes, we'll be eating!

(same day)
We just ate a big dinner: homemade soup, salad, bread and cheese with ham, and cake for the fete du roi (a French tradition in which families buy almond cakes or other flavors (ours had marzipan) and whoever gets the piece with the toy inside is the "king!") I just learned that we don't say "je suis pleine" when we don't want to eat anymore. We say instead "J'ai assez mangé". The former means one is with child. Good to know!

Tokyo Swan 5: Lazona -mall of champions-

(episode 5: lazona mall of champions)

So in this episode, I went to the newly constructed mall in Kawasaki called "Lazona." This place was huge! With over 4 floors of shops, it had everything from a grocery store to an arcade. When I was in Japan I went to this mall many times becuase it was very close to where I was living. All I had to do was get on a train and within 5 minutes I would be at the station that was connected to the basement of the mall.

Malls in Japan typically are not this large. In fact, many of them around the Tokyo area are constructed around the major train stations. However, this one is quite the exception and it featured a lot of awesome stores. It also highlights just how crowded it can get around Japan, as literally swarms of people were walking around the place.

The food court in the basement was also nice, as I would always get the same hot dog lunch set. Sometimes it's nice to have some comfort food every once in a while to remind you of home. It was a great mall to visit, and I hope one day I can go back!
Rodger

Tokyo Swan 4: Tokyo Game Show 2007

(Tokyo Swan 4: Tokyo Game Show 2007)

Many young people all over the world are interested in the video game culture that has grown out of Japan. After single handedly salvaging and revitalizing the video game industry with the Nintendo Entertainment System in the mid eighties, Japan has remained at the forefront of creating the latest and greatest games. I had the opportunity to go to the Tokyo Game Show 2007 to scope out all the latest and greatest games, and it was an experience like no other!

Taking place in Chiba, which is actually slightly north of Tokyo, it was a fun experience that was just jam packed with people! I had gotten somewhat used to living in the crowded cosmopolitan city of Tokyo, but nothing could have prepared me for the massive amount of people who showed up for this event. After waiting in line for quite some time, I entered a giant exhibition hall full of booths representing the key companies in the video game world, and I just tried to take in all of the sights and sounds.

It was a really fun time, and I got to play some games that were not yet available for the public (let alone America), so it was nice to indulge myself with all the games. It only cost about $10 to get in as well, so that was a great price. While America does have at least 1 yearly video game convention every year, it is nowhere near on the massive level that the Tokyo Game Show is, so it was quite an honor to go and try out the new games!
rodger

Besancon, France: Arrival in Paris

Madeleine Bien
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
I am safe in France after a long 8-hour flight, and am sitting here with four of my peers who are staying in the Hotel St. Sebastian in Paris with me. I am exhausted and really want to nap but as it is only a quarter to four here, I can't mess up my sleep schedule! So i'm going to probably turn in early tonight. We haven't done any sightseeing yet as we literally were just able to rid ourselves of our heavy burdensome suitcases! In a bit, after we've all sent our e-mails, we're going to explore a bit more of this area and we're planning on meeting a friend at Notre Dame at 7 p.m.
We'll be in this hotel until Friday, when we'll take the TGV to Besancon and meet up our group leader. She's going to buy us dinner and we're going to talk about our first few experiences. I can already say that I was impressed with even the beggars who played the accordion on the RER as opposed to your usual street beggar on the streets of Detroit. I can associate accordions (as many do) with sounds of Paris and it was kind of a cheap welcome into the city.
I am craving a shower and some authentic, cheap French wine and cheeses, so I bid you goodbye for now and I promise I will write as often as the opportunity arises! More later!

~post-trip thoughts~
Had I a second chance to go back and pack my suitcases, I would have packed SO much lighter than I did! Hauling my suitcases up and down those metro station stairs was tiring- and I know i'm not the only one who thought so. Our arms were aching after all that running around. But hey- good way to burn some calories, n'est-ce pas?
I ended up going to bed that night at around 7 or 8- the others were too excited to sleep and ended up visiting le Sacre Coeur: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/paris-sacre-coeur.htm
Next time I go somewhere across the world, I won't spend as much time at my computer as I did. It was nice once and a while being able to talk to friends and family, but Facebook and such can really wait. In the big picture, you're only there for a short time- might as well explore what you can and make the most out of your trip!
-MB

Tokyo Swan 3: Ramen Museum

Wow, so here is probably one of my most memorable and interesting episodes from Japan. Before classes had started at Keio University, my fellow dorm mates and I had a few weeks to just take in all of the various sites around Tokyo. One of the most fun and peculiar places we went to was the Shin Yokohama Ramen Museum. I had no idea that such a place existed, but sure enough there was a building with multiple floors established to honor the glory of ramen noodles.

The first floor of the museum was nothing more than a glorified gift shop for the most part, with various ramen related goods for reasonable prices. But there were also displays and ramen artifacts in glass cases that one could inspect.

It was the basement that was the most interesting part of the museum! It was like a tiny ramen Disneyland, with a sort of mini ramen town! It truly has to be seen to be believed! They also had various ramen booths in the basements where you could enjoy different types of ramen, and the ramen I had there was pretty good. Not the best I’ve had, but not the worst. The price was also fairly reasonable for a museum, so that was good.

It was a great time at the museum, and something that I will never forget!
Rodger