Alright, this is a video of my (tiny) apartment here in Koga! It’s pretty short and quite informative. It was shot when I first got here, so my room looks a bit more complete now, with decorations, flowers and the like. Either way, you get the idea. Please don’t mind the mess!

I’ve been so busy! School has been fun, but crazy. I often stay after school to watch the clubs. Yesterday was Kendo, today was Table Tennis. I have to admit, I really enjoyed Kendo. The yelling is a bit odd, but it looks like a ton of fun. I really like sword fighting, so this is right up my alley. The Kendo-sensei said: Kendo is more about spirit. Basically, you yell to invoke emotion. Put that emotion into your kendo, and viola, you are fearless and frightening. I even got to try it a bit. As a test, they put a balloon on the head of one of the students and told me to pop the ballon with the kendo sword. Hitting a student is already difficult, let alone hitting one hard enough to pop a balloon! It took me two tries, but I got it! Then I sat back and observed. I hope to spar someday with them.

Table tennis wasn’t as thrilling and while I did try it, I was terrible at it. The kids are all really talented at the sports they choose. Of course, anyone would be good at something they practice for 2 hours every day. I think it’s a great system. The students are required to participate in a club. It gives them something else to focus on other than school and it seems that they all really enjoy their sport of choice. Not to mention, even the worst Japanese student would be among the best in American schools.

Well, this post is rather short. I don’t have any pictures yet, I’ve been really focused on school. I’ve got some great ideas rolling around in my head though, so please look forward to my next few posts! In the meantime, take care (気をつけてね)!