Lab farwell party and origami

Monday 3/8:
After my last whole weekend with Kojiro it was time for my last party with my lab friends. They were arranging a farewell party for me that Monday after school, free of charge for me and everything. We went to a nice izakaya and ate and drank more than enough, and after a lot of [...]

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Wearing my new yukata and going to hanabi for the first time

Saturday 18/7:
Returning back to Kojiro’s home it was time to change into the yukata. Kojiro’s mother was kind enough to help me dress, something I was very thankful for since doing it myself had proved impossible. There are lots of small secrets to it, not seen by the naked eye from the finished result. Examples [...]

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Jinbe, dango and a nice afternoon

Saturday 18/7:
It was a hot summer Saturday in Japan, and finally time for me to experience a real Japanese hanabi, or firework festival. I had been really looking forward to this, since I would get to use my new yukat. I hadn’t had any luck in putting it one by my self, so today Kojiro’s [...]

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Tea ceremony again

Friday 12/6:
Friday, it was time to experience a second tea ceremony (you can read about my first one here, in Norwegian that is). This time related to the Topics of Japan class, that is a part of the YSEP program. I might have stayed in Japan a bit to long since I am actually getting [...]

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Dogs in Japan

Ok, it’s almost a month since I last wrote in this blog, so sorry about that. I guess I have lost the “wanting to tell everyone back home about everything I experience over here” spirit a little. Besides I am busy enjoying my last months here, which is a valid reason I think :P But [...]

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Sun umbrellas, the swine flue and visiting the Emperors palace

Sunday 21/5:
Which is actually not such an easy thing as it might sound. First of all, the Emperors palace, or Tokyo Imperial palace as it is called is only open to the public two days of the year, that is January 2, which is New Year’s Greeting day over here, and a big thing, and [...]

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A small mountain trip and Golden week

Sunday 3/5:
The day after I went on a short Wander Vogel trip to a small mountain outside of Tokyo. Actually I had been in the area before, on my first camping trip in Japan, which I wrote about in this post (Ps: in Norwegian). It was golden week by the way, so there were lots [...]

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Doing the Japanese countryside by bus

Saturday 2/5:
The next Saturday we all met again for another Yuka arranged event, this time taking us out of Tokyo for some sightseeing. Us this time was a few YSEP students again and a Japanese friend of Yuka.
It was very typical Japanese style sightseeing, that is everything was done in a big group, with guides [...]

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Maid Café, Ghibli Museum and a Music Performance

Saturday 25/4:
Ok, still working on catching up with my blog and jumping ahead to the next unique event of my life, going to a Maid Café for the first time and Ghibli Museum.
It was a gray and rainy Saturday, packed with Japan experiences all arranged by Yuka, my host family friend. She is really good [...]

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Home Stay in Tochigi

Sunday 18/4 – Saturday 19/4:
Ok, jumping many days forward in time, since I am so incredible fare behind in my blog I have arrived at Tochigi about three hours buss ride outside of Tokyo close to Nikko. I and a bunch of other YSEP students where there to participate in a home stay event.
It all [...]

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