Hello everyone, it has been awhile!

My last month in Japan has been busier than ever, but the time has finally come to say goodbye. I leave and arrive back to the US on May 10, 2012.

The footage in the following video was taken on May 1, during the "undoukai" or Sports Day. It's an event held annually at most Japanese high schools in order to promote health and school spirit!

The clip at the end is my speech to the school, in front of the ghastly amount of 1,200 students and 200 guests or so.

 

Speech:

こんにちは。３年の３組のジャスティンです。アメリカから留学していました。
Hello, this is grade three, class three Justin speaking. I came from the United States to study abroad in Japan.

７ヶ月半前、付属高校に来た時に、私は皆さんの前に立って自己紹介をしました。
Seven and a half months ago, when I first came to Gakufu, I stood in front of you all to introduce myself.

その時は、日本語をほとんど知らなかったので十分自己紹介ができませんでした。
I hardly knew any Japanese at that time, and so couldn't properly say much about myself.

７ヶ月半経った今、また皆さんの前に立って、私は自己紹介をする代わりに、さよならを言う事になりました。
Now seven and a half months have passed, and once again I stand before you all—this time instead of being here to introduce myself, I am now here to say goodbye.

アメリカを発って日本に向かった時には、私の家族、友達たち、先生たち、そして彼女にさようならを言わなければなりませんでした。
When I left America, I had to say goodbye to my family, friends, teachers, and girlfriend.


私は、とても悲しかったです。でも、日本に滞在した間、日本の家族、たくさんの新しい友達、そして偉い先生たちと会いました。
This was a very sad time for me. However, throughout my stay in Japan I have made a new family, many new friends, and met many great teachers.


でも、とても残善な事に、日本の彼女ができませんでした。だご残念です！
A very upsetting point, however, is that I did not get a Japanese girlfriend. It's a shame, huh?

... (this is when people merrily laugh at the gaijin's joke. And yes, it was a joke Maddie!!!!)

付属高校が大好きでした。最初の１週間は、混乱した時がいっぱいありました。
I have come to love Gakufu. Although there were many moments of confusion during my first week at school,

でも、すぐにたくさんの生徒や先生から手伝ってもらいました。
I soon received much help and guidance from students and teachers.

いろんな部活をやって見たり、友達とたくさん話をしました。
While participating and trying out a variety of extracurriculars, I talked with many people who eventually became good friends.

毎日、学校に行くのが楽しみで、楽しい事がたくさんありました。
Everyday, I wake up looking forward to going to school.

さようならを言わなければならないのが、とても辛いです。
It has come time, however, to say goodbye. 

でも、いつかまた会えるのを楽しみにしています。皆さんの事は、決して忘れません。
Someday, I know we will meet again, and I'm looking forward to that day. I will never forget this year.

ありがとうございました。
Thank you.

 

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There are so many people that I wish to thank. First of all, to CIEE for making my dream a possibility. I have learned life lessons and about maturity from my experience in Japan, and this is all due to CIEE helping to get me here, setting me up with a great host family, and supporting my endeavors throughout the year.

I hope you have all enjoyed reading my blog and watching my videos throughout the year. If it is alright with CIEE, I will continue to upload content (more in-depth, as I will have greater access to the computer) to this blog account. If not, you can continue to watch me post Japan-related content on Youtube.

 

Thank you, once again, for all the support you have given me CIEE. I will never forget this year.

 

Justin Ehringhaus

email: ehringhaus@yahoo.com

youtube: http://www.youtube.com/Juchaeh

Hello Internet!

You may have heard of something called "taiko" at least once in your life. I had, upon occasion, while growing up in the U.S., some form of drumming. However, I had never gained an appreciation or interest in taiko until coming to Japan. 

In the following video, you will see a taiko performance, and simultaneously, a group of teenagers creating a (giant!) calligraphy poster. These two classic and renowned arts combined created a very powerful, (and 20 minute long) performance. I have cut it down to just four minutes for you to enjoy. When you visit Japan, this is definitely something worth watching.

 

http://www.youtube.com/Juchaeh

 

Hello Internet! Hisashiburi ne?

I wish to gradually ease myself back into posting blogs more often, and so today's entry is simply a video on Japanese graduation ceremonies. I realize that I haven't posted much on my blog, and ironically, I don't think there will be many more entries until after my return from Japan. I'd like to appologize for my infrequent entries, but also, promise that there are more helpful—language, cultural, what-to-do based postings coming soon. I return to the U.S. on May 10, just a bit over two months from now. I have learned so much, and wish to share it with you all, there is just so little time to do that while I'm in Japan, ironically.

Anyhow, enjoy the video!

 

Let's Learn Some Japanese—Word of the Day!

卒業式
そつぎょうしき (sotsugyoushiki) 
Graduation ceremony

 

Hello readers! 

It has been awhile, hasn't it? Over the winter break I was very busy, however I am now back to school and bukatsu (extracurriculars, in my case—gymnastics). [Winter Vacation Video]

 

This blog contains a variety of pictures that I've gathered since the beginning of my stay in Japan. Most of these pictures are personal, however many scenary shots were given to me by my homeroom teacher. One of his hobbies is photography, and therefore you'll clearly be able to see which pictures are credited to him (as they're amazing!).

 

Without further ado—My Japanese Life in Pictures:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this video I give the koto, shamisen, and kokyuu an attempt at playing. These instruments are unique to Japan.

 

 

The "koto" is a 13-stringed instrument with moveable bridges. It is simply beyond me how one can come to master tuning and playing an instrument such as this. However, after a couple of tries, you can see how I got down pat the good ol' "Twinkle Twinkle".

The "Shamisen" only has three strings, yet also is quite the admirable intstrument to attempt becoming adept at. Unlike a guitar there are no frets; meaning that it is similar to a violin in which you feel where the notes are simply through practice. 

The "Kyokyuu" resembles the shamisen in appearance, bears three strings, but is slightly smaller. The main difference between the two is that the Kyokyuu is played with a bow, sounding similar to a violion. The Chinese erhu is also similar to the kyokyuu, yet the erhu has only two strings. 

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As always, you can message me with any further questions:

ehringhaus@yahoo.com

http://www.youtube.com/Juchaeh

 

Here are a couple of questions I've received over email. Please feel free to ask me anything! 

Email: ehringhaus@yahoo.com

 

 

Question:

 Hi Justin!  I am a mother of a 15 year old girl going to Japan next March for a year.  I enjoy your blog  best out of all of them and wondered if you could give us some good old advice on cell phones and how you handle the money problem?  I've heard that buying a cell phone there and using Softbank was the way to go? How much money realistically are you spending per month there?  Do you use a debit card from an account here in the USA?  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  

We are from Cape Cod Mass, just down the road from you in Maine.  Thanks, Carla

 

Answer:

 Hi Carla,

 You certainly are both brave—your daughter for going on a year-abroad experience at such a young age, and you for allowing her!

 Straight up: my monthly cost is around $265. However please read on, as your cost entirely depends on your situation.

 Train: I live an hour away from school. 15 minute bike-ride, 30 minutes on the train, and then a 15 minute walk. My bike was given to me for free, through my program, however the train pass costs about $85 a month. Most students at my school are surprised to hear I live an hour away, so maybe it's uncommon for that to happen. Your daughter could be lucky and not have to worry about that fee at all.

 Lunch: To eat adequately, I must spend about 400 yen, or $5 a day for lunch. Host families are not expected to give food for lunch, only breakfast and dinner. However, it all depends on your daughters host family, they could provide her with o-bento (boxed lunch) daily, or she'll need to use her own money. Occasionally, my mother makes o-bento for me, but for the most part it's $5 a day.

 Cellphone: I found the cheapest plan possible. I bought a "Sony Ericsson SOX02SKA" phone in Japan, costing nothing for the actual purchase. The plan allows me to call up to 5 family members with unlimited minutes, and texting is free for anyone. Your daughter shouldn't need more than that, so this is definitely the phone to go with—unlimited texting and ability to call home. First month with this plan costs $35, every month after that is just $23.

 AAA Travel Visa Card: This is most convenient for me. I used this method while in China as well, and it works nicely. Simply go to AAA before departure and open an account, you can deposit money via internet, or in person. Your daughter will have a card (and backup incase anything happens), which she can use at most ATMs. I believe there is no extra charge, or very little, for withdrawing using this card. What my parents did is put $1000, the maximum, on the card and I withdrew it all in yen once arriving. This money lasts about 4 months, so I should only have to make two trips to an ATM during my stay to withdraw $1000, and maybe one more trip just to withdraw a few hundred. Therefore, my overall costs while staying in Japan will be around $2,200—unluckily this is rather high due to the train and lunch. 

 I try to keep track of anything extra that I spend outside of the above. It's helpful to open a Gmail document so that your daughter can periodically update her spendings and you may receive updates through email. I am lucky to have wi-fi at my house, so it's possible to easily contact home through email, Facebook, gmail, skype, etc. But it must be used sparingly. Most of my day is spent at school and my after-school club, when I arrive home, it's expected that I be with my family and not up in my room. So my only chance to use the computer is before bed and when I wake up.

 Thank you! Best wishes to your daughter,

 Justin

 

 

 

Kumamoto Castle!!!

I had been dying to visit, so my homeroom sensei so kindly brought me. It really is amazing, my camera just cannot capture the epiness of the scene.

Kumamoto Castle is one of the three most famous castles in Japan, along with Osaka and Himeji Castle.

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If you have a significant other, bring them to one of these castles during sakura season. It'll be beautiful. I will most definitely visit once more in April once the cherry blossoms have bloomed.

 

 

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Hit me up with some questions!

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/Juchaeh

Email: Ehringhaus@yahoo.com

 

Hello internet. In this video, I discuss the classes I take at my Japanese high school. If you plan to study abroad in Japan, your classes will most lilely be very similar. 

 

 

 

However please note, I am not kidding around when I say school will be difficult. There are many rewarding moments, and if you're planning to go abroad, you must be the type who likes to take on challenges, but school in Japan is both a test of endurance as it is a test of patience. Assuming that teaching-style is for the most part the same across the board—you will need to learn to keep a very positive attitude. So although I only briefly discuss the difficulties of school in the above video, please keep them in mind.

 

The most important thing to do before leaving for Japan, if you're going for your senior or junior year of high school, is to do a credit-check. Personally, I got all my credits by the end of junior year, so I wouldn't have to worry about how my study abroad would affect graduating. It is very difficult to take tests if you don't know all the standard kanji, and even if you are able to do well in school, you'll have to deal with getting your credits transferred back over to your native country's high school. In the end, it's best to just be prepared credit-wise and not have to worry about grades while abroad. School life is very busy in Japan, join a "bukatsu" and focus on learning Japanese while becoming more physically fit than spending hours working on school subjects.

 

If you have any questions, email me at: ehringhaus@yahoo.com

If you'd like to see more of my videos not posted on the blog, follow me on YouTube at:

http://www.youtube.com/Juchaeh

You haven’t eaten sushi until you’ve visited Japan, I assure you.

 

 

As an American, I thought, Sure, I know exactly what sushi is! It’s the green paper stuff, (could it be seaweed?) wrapped around rice with pieces of meat, fish, or vegetable inside. Well, in theory, yes—sushi can include seaweed (Nori), rice, meat, fish, or anything edible. Yet the manner in which sushi is put together is different in Japan than it is in the trademark American style. Many types of sushi exist, where as in other countries, you tend to only see “Makizushi” (circular in shape, with rice and meat wrapped inside seaweed).

I have only been to two sushi restaurants during my time in Japan, so in no way do I claim to be an expert. From what I’ve seen, however, when Nori is used as a wrapper, rice is not included at all.

My favorite type of sushi is “Maguro” and salmon sushi, in the Nigirizushi style. Nigirizushi simply contains a slab of fish or meat over a small rounded square of rice. P.S. It’s raw. This was a completely new experience to me.

If you’ve never had raw fish before (like myself), then mentally prepare yourself when going to Japan before visiting a sushi restaurant. Raw fish is delicious once you develop a taste for it. But don’t be surprised if it takes a few trips to a sushi restaurant before you become fully accustomed. If raw fish is just too much of a scary thought for you, there also exists sushi with cooked meat, melted cheese, and mayonnaise over fried fish—anything imaginable to please the meat-lover.

Be warned that once you’re hooked on sushi it becomes a hard addiction to kill.

 

If you’d like to watch me through the eyes of a lense as well as read my blog, please subscribe to me on youtube at: http://www.youtube.com/juchaeh 

Watch my latest video, 10~Abroad in Japan—Karate Tournament!

   

Hello internet, 

Recently, my school had it's annual bunkasai, or school festival. Basically, each homeroom put together some sort of event, game, or in the case of my homeroom, a movie which can be seen below.

This along with Sports Day (future video entry) may be the highlight events of the year at my school. 

 

 

 

 

 

PS: I experienced my first earthquake last night.