BrotherAnnie

I have some exciting news!

Landed in Osaka Itami Airport, then got a bus to Hirakata City, and finally arrived at the Kansai Gaidai Seminar Houses, which I stayed in during orientation week. I know, super boring. Whatevez.

A brief introduction into the magical world of Japanese cellphones, or "keitai denwa" (携帯電話). My provider is Softbank, one of the biggies in Japan. Hope I don't bore you guys to tears. Sorry this one's so late/crappy.

This is what a typical morning for me looks like, living with a host family, and how I get to Kansai Gaidai. Gotta love the "fun sized" neighborhoods, they're everywhere. Also, using public transportation in Japan is much smoother and simpler than in the US, and since I've got this awesome one month bus pass for all of the buses in Hirakata city, I can easily go where ever I want with out much wait. And something I forgot to mention in the video--Japanese buses are WAY more timely, and are basically never late. There goes that excuse, eh? Anywho, hope everything back in the States is going well, and hope you all are having a great semester.

Meet Japanese toilets. This is the toilet in my host family's house. I was sneaky for you guys and brought my camera into the bathroom one night so I could make this video. Oh the things I do for you! I kinda wished I had some footage of public restrooms--there are plenty gross ones in Osaka. Bleh. Super glad Kansai Gaidai is more modern than the train stations in that respect. Sorry for the crapness once again. Next video should be on bathtubs and showers. Enjoy!

Japanese bathtubs (ofuro) and showers (shawaaa)--this is from my host family's bathroom. How weird would it be if Kansai Gaidai seminar house shower rooms were like this?

My classmates and I from Kansai Gaidai went on a field trip to Hiroshima to visit the Genbaku Dome (atomic bomb dome) and the Hiroshima Peace Museum. That afternoon we listened to an atomic bomb survivor talk about her life. She was a little girl on the day that it was dropped and told us the story.

Japanese yen: coins and bills. Yay for play money!

Kansai Gaidai International Festival 2009. aka INFES. Sorry if I ramble in this one, I'm trying out not chopping up my narration into tons of little clips. Any good? No? Also, if you can get the chance, try tempura fried ice cream! It is teh delish.

Miyajima and Itsukushima Shrine and it's magnificent red torii gate standing off the shore in the ocean. Absolutely gorgeous. My friend and I took a day trip here after visiting Hiroshima (Miyajima is only a ferry boat away). Definitely one of the more beautiful sights you can find in Japan.

My second video on Japanese cellphones! I'll show you how to text in Japanese as well as use their ridiculous emoticons. It's just my crappy Softbank phone, so I can only show you the basics, but the basics are pretty wicked, IMO.

Kobe's Luminarie -- Kobe lights up one section of the city in Christmas lights, all pretty-like. I went with some of my Kansai Gaidai buddies. Kobe is about an hour or two away from Osaka. And I guess it's not technically a Christmas event, but it looks like one. The Japanese don't really do Christmas like back in the States, it's more of a commercial holiday than anything. Which...I guess is basically the same as back home.

I am currently a student at Kansai Gaidai University, and during the fall semester I lived with a Japanese host family in Hirakata city, Osaka, Japan. If you're interested in studying abroad, I highly recommend trying out the home stay experience. Sorry this video is so late, I'm busy traveling right now. Next video will be up in a few days (less than a week). Promise!

Over a month ago my host family took me to Nara to see the great big giant Buddha housed in the Todaiji (temple). It was also really nice to see the same deer from Miyajima back in Nara. かわいい〜！Also I highly recommend to anyone visiting Japan in the fall to check out the koyo in the Kansai region. Gawgeous.

This isn't a usual video, just an update after my friends Jace, Paul and I traveled all around Japan over the winter break. We're back in Kansai Gaidai University again for the spring semester, and its nice to finally settle down. Oh how I missed Osaka and Hirakata! Anyways, sorry this video is hella boring, new video should be up in a few days!

Japanese convenience stores are amazing, and I constantly have to resist visiting them, for fear that my wallet will dry up. Somethings from these corner stores can also be found in the States at Asian markets, like Pocky, Toppo, Pretz and Calpis Soda. Yum! I filmed all of this in Osaka, Japan, and have to give kudos to my camera man and classmate from Kansai Gaidai University, Jace.

Because a general video on Japanese food would be a little too broad to do, I thought I'd do a video on restaurants of Japan, in the area around Kansai Gaidai University, Hirakata City, and Osaka. This video covers a variety of popular meals--udon, curry and rice, tonkatsu, yakiniku, and of course, ramen. If you'd like to see more food videos, let me know, and I'll see if I can pump out more. I will eat food in front of a camera everyday of the week for you guys.

Valentine's Day in Japan! Admit it fan girls, you have always wanted to see those girly anime scenes with the school girl confessing to her crush with super powers played out in real life. Yeah. Those ridiculous chocolates and boxes and stuff? Yeah, that's real. My friend and I made truffles for V-Day and hit up this place called Kiddy Land which sells everything that's cute. Of course, they only reason why I made these chocolates was so that I could get that much more on White Day.

One of the best foods to have when it's winter in Japan: Nabe. Something like a Japanese stew, and very delicious. Best things to add are shittake, cabbage, carrots, pork and leaks. Yummers. This nabe party was with a bunch of my friends from Kansai Gaidai University in Hirakata, and we had a blast. Anyways, sorry this video was so short and half-assed, but I enjoyed watching all the clips from the party and didn't think they needed much of my yawn-inducing narration.

The Japanese love their vending machines. These are just some of the ones around Hirakata, Osaka, where I go to school at Kansai Gaidai University. The most common kinds in Japan that I've seen thus far usually sell drinks, food, cigarettes or alcohol/beer/booze. Crazy. Some drinks for winners featured in this video include: C.C. Lemon, Ichigo au Lait by Meiji, and BOSS coffee by Suntory.

Some gaijin friends (from Kansai Gaidai) and I went to see a professional Sumo tournament in Osaka. It was very exciting! Hopefully I explain enough about the rules and traditions of the sport for you guys to get the picture. There's a lot of Shinto aspects to Sumo, such as purifying the ring with salt, chants, etc. Overall, an incredibly culturally rich sport.

Some of you said you wanted to see more of the actual sumo matches so I thought I'd make a quick video with just the clips from the tournament. No editing or intro, I hope you guys enjoy! Real video should be posted in the next day or so.

Izakaya. One of the many places to enjoy a beer or five. Japanese alcohol culture is very strong--they love their booze. This place is called The Seven Lucky Gods, and right near the East gate at Kansai Gaidai, in Hirakata, Osaka, Japan.

At the Japanese pavilion at the Shanghai World EXPO they had a robot that played the violin. Cool? No? Anyways, China was crazy, and I have lots of stories to tell. It's good to be back in the Ole Kansai de Gaidai.

This video is based off of this store near the Kansai Gaidai Seminar Houses called Avail. It's not the coolest place to shop but its cheap.

This video is just an update, I felt bad for neglecting you guys for so long. Not really sure what to do with my brotherannie account now that I'm not in Japan anymore, so any suggestions are welcome! I'm applying for the JET program, and IF I get accepted into that, I'll probably start making real videos again. Until then, sorry if things get kinda boring around here.