First Language Class

The first language class was good. I'm in level 4 out of 7 ( 7 being practically fluent.) I understood 99.9% of everything that Shiomi-sensei said, which made me feel great even though she spoke a little slower and stuck to more basic words. The point of the class is building vocabulary and natural conversation. I think I'll do okay in it as long as I work really hard. She's very nice too.

After that I went to the bookstore and bought some textbooks, then found a bus stop and went to Hirakata Station to City Hall and got my foreigner registration stuff handed in. I forgot to get an extra form that cost 300 yen that would let me get my cellphone quicker... So I might be going back on Thursday or something. It's a must for Japanese friends, so...

I went to Kiddy Land and looked at the toys, gifts, and other things they had. I had my eye on a nice Totoro pen/pencil holder. Maybe some other time. I bought a few capsule toys, which are basically small keychains and other things in plastic balls that cost 100-200 yen. There are about 50 machines for these in this store, and they lined a few walls. I got a few Mario characters and a Doutor Coffee hotdog strap which is now on my Nintendo DS (It's meant to decorate a cellphone but I improvised.) I don't understand this thing with straps and keychains in Japan. I put a few of the Mario Kart ones on my rucksack, but being on a slim-cellphone would be kind of annoying. Esspecially with crap jingling about outside your pocket, unless you keep it in your purse / bag? Who knows.

The rest of the day was spent reading about China and Japan from about late 19th century to early 20th (up to the boxer rebellion.) I was struck by K'ang Youwei, who was a reformist whom issued a smattering of reforms when the impressionable nephew of the Dowager Empress was Emperor. He had a lot of interesting modern notions of humanism, freedom, and equality that was rare for the time, albeit it was soaked in a good bit of "new" Confucianism which he created by basically deifying Confucious. He led a very interesting life and was I think poisoned when he was in his 60's. How frustrated one such as him must have been in a time of turmoil between the country being split up and the problems of modernization while still mired in tradition and religion.

Anyway, that's the end of my musings. Four classes tomorrow. Should be a good time.