A week or two ago, I was sitting in the classroom finishing up my work for the day and sorting though my papers, when a teacher and a reporter sort of ambushed me and asked me if it was ok to do an interview. I wasn’t prepared, but I had no idea how to say no, so after finishing my mandatory deer-caught-in-headlight-moment (happens every time someone talks to me in Japanese without me being prepared), I just shook my head in a no-motion, but the words that came out of my mouth was “Yes, of course!”. (Well, in Japanese, but you get the drift.)

The reporter was a very nice man, but he used so much keigo I couldn’t understand much of what he asked me. Just for the record, Japan has a really complicated system of talking depending on who you are talking to. Not only does the grammar change, but the actual words you use change to completely new words. You can use words to put yourself down (humble) and raise the person you are talking to up (polite). Obviously just describing this could make any head hurt. At least mine. These three sentences mean the same:

1. 食べて、食べて！ – tabete, tabete! – please eat (friendly)
2. 食べてください。- tabete kudasai – please eat (little bit more formal)
3. 召し上がってください。- meshiagatte kudasai – please eat (polite)

So, after trying to decipher two questions in keigo (very polite) from the reporter, I told him in Japanese that I was really sorry, but my keigo wasn’t quite up to par for this kind of task, and if he could lower his speaking to a little bit (from number 3 on the list to number 2 on the list above.) Poor man! After that it went a lot better with understanding everything he had to say, but I still find that talking and answering back to people is the most difficult thing, so I kind of stumbled my way through something that felt like about 2.5 hours, but in fact was more like 10 minutes. Anyhow – I made it to the front page of the Asahi Newspaper!

And oh! I have to write about what the interview was about as well! My school has started a multilingual blog, where everyone write in their own language and post whatever they want about life in Tokyo! It is a really cute project, you can see the blog here:

http://www.kaij.jp/gambalog/

(& one more thing – if you click like on the posts from Kirakira, I can win a trip to Disneyland, haha.) But back to the point – if you are interested in Tokyo and daily life, it is a neat blog to follow.

These pictures are not new, but I realize I had never posted them here before. They are taken at the Mori Art Center in Roppongi, a spacious and beautiful observation deck. It is probably one of my favorite places on earth, I could look at all of the little buildings for hours on end.

(Long stoppage in the 365 project, I blame Japanese. Here is another one for now. )

I’ve been having some really ugly weeks lately, no matter what I put on, no matter how I did my makeup I just felt kind of slobby. Yesterday I went and got a haircut, and it worked wonders. I also got some new clothes, was looking for bottoms only right now. I usually only wear black clothes (no, not goth or metal inspired, I just feel like any other color hasn’t suited me for the past years,) but I actually got some skirts and shorts in different colors this time around.

Apparently you can wear the dotted skirt both ways, but I think I prefer it with the dots facing outwards. The other skirt looks a bit conservative, but since the rest of my clothes are not, I think it will be just perfect. I never used to like dark blue garments before, but it is growing on me.

The material of these shorts are half-shiny, and they had some cute details over the side pockets.

Maybe sailor theme is a bit last year, but I never got into it back then, so when I saw these shorts now I thought they were really cute with the little belt and buttons.

I almost, just almost, want to get a helmet like they have in Brødrene Dal, but luckily I can stop that urge and just go with these shorts instead.

I’ve seen so many beautiful flowers lately. One of these days I will buy some and take them home ♥

⁑ ⁂ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ☀ ☁ ☂ ◉ ♣ ♥ ♦ ♠ ✚ ⁑ ⁂ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ☀ ☁ ☂ ◉ ♣ ♥ ♦ ♠ ✚ ⁑ ⁂ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ☀ ☁ ☂ ◉ ♣ ♥ ♦ ♠ ✚ ⁑ ⁂ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ☀ ☁ ☂ ◉ ♣ ♥ ♦ ♠ ✚ ⁑ ⁂ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ☀ ☁ ☂ ◉

I like to keep the blog postive for the most part, but today I just had to enjoy some cheese and whine for breakfast, so here is a short whine-list:

• Today is already Wednesday, I have no idea what happened to Monday and Tuesday.
• Apparently there is a kanji-contest, but we are competing against everyone else in the entire school, from 初級 to 上級, so I will probably have no chance in hell reaching any kind if top-list.
• And then we have two hours of “free talk”, where we talk to Japanese people. This is all fine and dandy and a great offer, but I feel like I have nothing to say to other people, and forced conversation and chitchat just make me feel awkward.
• I saw that a blogger started offer to make design for other blogs for 100 NOK. And in her comment field, people were complaining about how expensive they thought that was. Seriously? (At the design agency I worked for, the average price of a web page was 10 000 NOK and upwards. Sure, a blog is a smaller thing to make, but still, I wouldn’t make blog-designs for 100 NOK.) I realize these kids (who thinks 100 NOK is expensive for a custom design)  probably are in junior high and only spend their parents money because they have no money on their own, but seriously, I bet they spend more money on McDonald’s pr week than a measly 100 NOK. They walk around in jeans that cost 1300 NOK, but 100 NOK on a custom design is expensive? Give me a break.
• My hair in Japan = akjgfljkrøoijgdns = I must wear a hat = skjfkljfs = it is too warm = bah.

Thank you and good day to you sir!

// Wall paintings in Nakano

There is a lot of beautiful flowers along the street when I am walking home, here is some of them.

& completely unrelated: I changed the font-size. It is smaller, and harder to read, so at first thought it would seem silly to change the font into something smaller and less easy to read… But lately the words have just not come to me, and I have been wondering why, I couldn’t quite figure it out. I have so much I want to write and say, but I haven’t quite dared, or the words just haven’t really come to me. Then I thought – my own handwriting is also very small, and writing things with a too big font-size just made me feel some kind of performance anxiety. Or maybe not performance anxiety, but the font just felt to big and bulky for the words I wanted to write. The type of things I want to write. Silly, but none the less, I need a smaller font-size to feel more at home, so sorry about the inconvenience, hope you understand, I know it is not that hip or kosher to write in a tiny font on the web anymore. Maybe I will change it back when my mood changes, but for now, this font-size seems to fit the words I want to write better.

& completely unrelated 2: Earthquake while I write this. I hope it passes. It is a long and slow one.

1. Å kjenne lukten av sommer-Japan, og nyse konstant i flere uker fordi man er allergisk mot en helt annen type pollen enn i Norge.
2. Å se bestemødre sope foran inngangsdørene sine og langs veien, bare fordi de liker at det ser pent og ryddig ut rundt seg.
3. Å kjenne solen varme ansiktet for første gang på to dager, men at det ikke gjør noe at det regner, fordi man vet at det ikke regner hver dag.
4. Å drikke kaffe og se på trash-TV til frokost. (Ja, jeg ser på Paradise av og til, alle har guilty pleasures.)
5. Å kjenne lukten av hjemmelaget middagsmat fra et hemmelig sted i nærheten selv om klokken bare 9 om morgenen.
6. Å spise seg mett på sushi til rundt 40 norske kroner.
7. At riskokeren min spiller “twinkle twinkle little star” når risen er ferdig.
8. At naboen kommer på døren med en diger honningmelon i gave, bare fordi de hadde en ekstra som de ikke klarer å spise selv.
9. At bestevenninnen min i Sverige alltid er lynkjapp til å svare på meldinger via facebook, og bestevenninnen min i Norge som absolutt ikke er like kjapp logget seg på skype for første gang på et år.
10. Å kjenne at man virkelig trives i sitt eget selskap, helt alene, av og til.

There is this beautiful temple close to my house, I have no idea why I haven’t walked in there before. I finally did last weekend and I snapped some pictures while I was at it.

& totally unrelated; a couple of pictures from resturants in Nakano-Sakaue and Nakano below here: