Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Day 5-7: Class+Excursion+Study Visit (June 24-26)

Lately, class has only been 1.5 hours a day, which is really nice.  It’s like being on vacation (or “holiday,” as other people refer to it).  Although the classes are informative and the professors are undoubtedly very knowledgeable, honestly, some of the professors are hard to understand at times.  Some professors’ English speaking skills are better than others, which require a little extra attention to decipher what is being said.  But overall, it has not been much of a problem.

Outside of class, it has been a lot of fun!  When off exploring Tokyo and beyond with the other GSP students, the people we meet are always very helpful with directions and patient/accommodating with us non-Japanese speaking people.

Day 5
Sake barrels at Meiji Shrine in Shinjuku

Gate above Harajuku St. 
Hanging out at Todai campus after a group dinner


Day 6: Excursion to Hakone (outside Tokyo)
View out the window of train to Hakone
Hakone Ropeway over volcano 

Odawara Castle




Hakone Open-Air Museum





















Day 7: Study visit (Futako Tamagawa, Seijo Gakuen, Kitami, Kurokawa, and Haruhino)

Rice paddies
Site explanation
Shibuya crossing (post-study visit)


GSP and Todai students with professors



Friday, June 24, 2011

Day 2-4: Class+Roaming Everywhere (June 21-23)

During the pass three days, I have done so much that it is hard to keep straight what I did when.  I have also gone photo crazy and have taken 1,122 photos since I have been in Tokyo (4.5 days).

Classes have been interesting and have covered an array of topics including city regeneration, waste management, urban water systems, and sustainable building materials.  During one lecture, the class worked in groups to create a SWOT analysis of a city.  It was a fun and entertaining experience interacting with one another and exchanging ideas.


Since there is no homework and class is only 1.5 or 3 hours a day, I have had a lot of free time to explore Tokyo.  Having class with the other GSP students, living in the same hotel, and us all being abroad means that we have spent a lot of time hanging out together.  It’s hard to believe that I first met these people only four days ago.  Starting each day around 10:30AM and ending around midnight, within the last three days, we have seen and experienced:
Tokyo Dome City
Marunouchi



sake museum
Otome Inari Jinja Shrine
Akihabara Electric Town










Imperial Palace
Yasukuni Shrine
karaoking



Shinjuku





















Sticking to free attractions and walking where we can, each day is extremely tiring.  I can’t remember the last time I’ve done this much continuous exercising.  Plus, the temperature in Tokyo has been in the 80s-90s (°F).  As if that wasn’t uncomfortable enough, the air is humid.  In addition, it was predicted to rain and have thunderstorms in Tokyo throughout the week.  Luckily, there hasn’t been either, except for very brief light drizzling.  Also, after the earthquake and tsunami back in March, many of the electric signs, billboards, and buildings that are usually lit up are kept dark to save energy, making for a less electrifying experience (haha, pun!).

Four days down, thirteen to go.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Day 1: Class+Ueno+Party (June 20)








I’ve only finished the first day and I feel like I’ve been here for at least a week already.  Exploring during the day and attending class in the evening is tiring and strange.  The Sustainable Urban Management course only has 8 IARU GSP students.  Of the ten universities eligible to participate in this program, we have a mix from Australian National University, National University of Singapore, Peking University, UC Berkeley, and University of Copenhagen, with myself being the only American.

Even though I know I’m in a different country, I still forget at times that customs I am use to are not the same for all.  In addition, being asked about American stereotypes is very interesting and funny.  Beyond language, some interesting things I have noticed while interacting with people and being in Tokyo include:
  •         Distance is measured in meters and kilometers instead of feet and miles. (SI units)
  •         Others measure temperature (the weather) in Celsius.
  •         People drive on the opposite side of the road.
    •         I was looking at a car passing by and looked into the driver’s window, but saw only an empty seat.  After a couple seconds of confusion and fear, I realized the driver was sitting on the right side of the vehicle, haha.
  •         Many people ride bikes for transportation around the city.
  •         Americans (college students) are perceived as drunken, party people.
  •         School uniforms in Japan are normal.
  •         The end of June in Japan is their rainy season.
  •         Some subway/metro stations have gates or glass walls between the standing platform and the train tracks.
  •          Japanese people are notorious for being punctual.
  •          UC Berkeley is known internationally and regarded as an excellent school.

Today was packed full of activities.  During the tour around the Hongo campus of UT ("Todai"), I was surprised how green the campus was.  There are trees everywhere and a beautiful lake within the campus.  Their library had everyone in awe, and it made me realize that I’ve never truly appreciated the grandness of Cal’s Doe Library.

For lunch, we ate at one of UT’s cafeterias.  The prices were pretty inexpensive.  If only Cal could have $4 and under meals…



In the Ueno district, there is so much to see, from shops, to shrines, to the Ueno Park.

GSP Todai student guides


Ueno Park











Ameyoko market













The first day of class was interesting and reminded me of my high school AP Environmental Science class.  Even more interesting was the seating/desk set-up.  It was unlike anything I have ever seen.  The first thing that came to mind was the U.S.’s obesity rate and how these desks would pose a problem.

After class, there was a “party” for exchange students held by the UT IRIS club. Also, here’s an entertaining tidbit for those who go to Cal – there is a Japanese drink called “Calpis,” hehe.
Fun times!


Todai and GSP students (left)

View from hotel (right)

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Day 0: Traveling

Hello from Tokyo!

After many hours of traveling, I’ve finally made it to my hotel in Tokyo, Japan.

A (extensive) recap of my never-ending day:
The night before my flight from the San Francisco International Airport (SFO), United Airlines (UA) at SFO reportedly had a computer malfunction that caused many missed flights and delays.  This problem caused long lines even the next morning, the morning I was to catch my flight with UA.  Checking-in took me an hour of waiting and listening to UA employees yelling directions of who should be where.

United Airlines international check-in counter

In-flight lunch #1
Once pass security and after boarding, ten and a half hours of fun confined to a roughly 2’ x 2.5’ bubble of personal space awaited.  Somehow, I managed to fall asleep right away, only to wake up and see everyone already eating their in-flight lunch.  By the time I got the attention of a flight attendant, the only meal left was some sort of bland vegetarian noodle and rice dish. 

On a more amusing note, the girl sitting next to me supposedly “won a prize” for getting the white (instead of black) food tray.  One of the flight attendants then gave her a really nice microfiber first-class blanket.  For some reason, the flight attendant gave one to me as well!

In-flight lunch #2
Nine hours into the flight of constant daylight, another meal was served.  Due to the +16 hour time change, it was lunchtime all over again at what felt like 9PM.

With the time difference, I left home (SFO) around 11:30AM, and after ten and a half hours of flying, I arrived in Tokyo at 2PM.  So as I write this blog post at 10:30PM JST, it feels like it is 6:30AM.

After making my way quickly and easily through immigration and customs, I took the Airport Limousine Bus to the Tokyo subway station.  All of the limo-bus workers were extremely nice and hustled while still taking care not to throw luggage.  The ride also provided a nice view of the Tokyo area.

Airport Limousine Bus loading area
Heading towards Tokyo Station, view from the bus
However, my day went a bit south from there.  At the Tokyo Station, I got extremely lost in the massive underground maze of stores, restaurants, and railways.  After 30 minutes of dragging my suitcase and two bags around, I found the correct subway line and managed to buy a ticket.  However, once down at the train platform, I couldn’t figure out which side to take.  I must have looked completely confused because a very nice elderly couple who spoke very limited English came over to help me find my way.  It turns out the posted directions are fairly straightforward if you know how to look at it…

Sadly, these unintentional detours weren’t the end of it.  Once, exiting at the correct station, I managed to leave the exit in the wrong direction, resulting in another 30 minutes of roaming the streets of Tokyo with my suitcase rolling behind.  Once again, a wonderful old lady approached me and actually walked with me two blocks and pointed around the corner as to where my hotel was.
Hotel room

After settling into my tiny hotel room, I met two others from the GSP and as a first meal in Japan we ate Chinese food, haha.


Tomorrow is the first day of class at the University of Tokyo for Sustainable Urban Management.  Let the learning and fun begin!