Fun in Kumamoto

This is just a post for those coming to study/live in Kumamoto to talk about some of the things you can do for fun in Kumamoto City. There is a lot to do, so also talk to your friends, and see what they recommend outside of this list! Also, get creative and look into the interesting workshops you can attend, such as the traditional sweets workshop I wrote about in a previous post.

Karaoke
There are a lot of karaoke places in Kumamoto. *Note, these are the type where you sing in a private room with your friends, not where you sing in a bar in front of everyone*
It can be a great way to blow off steam and have fun with your friends. I've only been to a few of them, but there seems to be a range of quality. The best thing to do is check one out, and if it meets your karaoke needs, stick with it! Some of them make you register for membership, and others do not. Some places offer all-you-can-eat ice cream and all-you-can-drink (including alcohol, though watered-down). This brings me to the next fun activity.

All-you-can-eat/drink Restaurants
If you plan on maintaining a healthy diet, I don't recommend going to these restaurants too often. For between 2500 and 3500 yen, you can have all-you-can-eat/drink for 90-120 minutes. These places usually serve a variety of different foods, from the standard izakaya fare like chicken wings and edamame, to pizza, french fries, pasta and desserts. Usually the alcoholic drinks are very weak, but they are all-you-can-drink as well. It's nice to go to one of these places for special occasions. 

RoundOne
This place is a multi-storey activity centre, with three main areas: bowling, karaoke, and "spo-cha", which is a large area with batting cages, roller-skating, a mini arcade, and lots more. It's reasonably priced for a few hours of entertainment! I recommend going to the spo-cha area, as it also includes "mini" versions of karaoke and bowling. Wear comfortable shoes and go with lots of energy!

Arcades
If you are into Japanese arcade games, or arcade games in general, you may enjoy spending time at an arcade. They can be found in a few places downtown, and UFO Catchers (crane-games) can be found in almost every shopping area. I wouldn't spend too much on UFO Catchers though! As tempting as it may seem, you are NOT likely to win anything, even if you try just one more time. There are stores that sell things that are available in UFO catchers; I would check out ぐるぐる倉庫 in particular.

Movie theatres
Movie theatres in Japan are a little different from where we live in Canada. In Canada, you go early so you can get into the cinema early. In Japan, when you buy a ticket you choose an assigned seat, and you are only allowed into the cinema 10 minutes before they start previews. So, if it is a popular movie, you may want to go early to buy a ticket, but you do not need to line up to get the best seat. Theatres give different discounts for different things, so check the websites. For Hollywood movies, there are usually two versions, one with subtitles (字幕) and one that has been dubbed (吹替). Make sure you pick the right one! Popcorn sets are usually cheaper than they are in Canada, and you have more variety of food items to choose from (caramel popcorn!). Another difference that I've noticed in the places I've gone is that the lights in the theatre don't come on at all after the movie until the end of the credits. 

While you might not get all the popular movies from Hollywood in a timely fashion, it's still fun to go to the theatre in Japan.

Traditional Sweets Workshop

On my birthday, I went with friends to a workshop to experience making traditional Japanese sweets (和菓子/wagashi). It was lots of fun, and I really enjoyed making and then eating the sweets.

There are different types of Japanese traditional sweets, but the kind you most often see are made with sweetened bean paste. Sweets used for tea ceremony are often carefully designed to reflect the nature of the current season. For example, summer means watermelon and certain flowers; autumn means coloured leaves and chestnuts. 




I love the seasonal aspect of traditional Japanese sweets, as well as the artistry that goes into planning and creating them. So, I was really happy to learn that I could try my hand at making them in Kumamoto city. We went to a shop called tomodachiya (友達屋) and were instructed on how to make three types of sweets: mikan mizuyokan, a morning glory, and a watermelon. Here are the finished products!

We then got to sit and eat our sweets and have a bowl of matcha tea. It was a really great experience! I would recommend it highly. To get there from near KGU, take the A tram at Shinsuizenji to Gionbashi. It's quite near the tram stop there. Here is their website. And here is another page in English with several workshop experiences within Kumamoto: click here! 

Kyudo and Joining Clubs

Just a quick post:

In culture class we tried out traditional Japanese archery, Kyudo (which I mentioned in a post a long time ago). The club at KGU currently has a lot of members, and they practice very intensely. If you are studying in Japan, it's great to join a club to make friends and practice your Japanese, but depending on the club it can be a big time commitment. 

In the past, exchange students at KGU have joined the tea ceremony club, Aikido club, Kyudo club, and a rock music club. If you get the chance, visit the different clubs you are interested and meet the members to find out what you might be getting into!

Mt. Aso Trip (Long time no post!)

Sorry for the long gap in posts! We went travelling during spring break, which is February and March for KGU, and I've got notes to write about our trips, but we haven't gotten to writing anything. 




Today I do have something to write about though- a recent trip we all took to Mt. Aso! As a welcome bus trip for the new exchange students, the International Office arranged a trip for all of us. 



Mt. Aso is an active volcano, and depending on the day and the wind direction, you may be able to see into the crater. We were really lucky, and got to see the crater clearly, with it spewing steam. I'd never been in a landscape like this mountain before, so even just the bare rocks and slopes around us were interesting.




Apparently the fact that it is so active is a good thing; if it's letting out steam vigorously, it isn't likely to erupt with force (because it's letting it out bit by bit).







In addition to the crater, Mt. Aso also has grasslands for cattle and lots of souvenir shops and picnic spots. We stopped at a place called Kusasenri for lunch and played in the grass. Tips for visiting: Eat the soft-serve ice cream, and watch out for poo in the grass.




Graham and I bought cute cow cookies, and I got suckered into buying chocolate covered strawberries from a nice old lady. I also picked up a horse meat steamed bun, which was delicious.

If you have the chance to study at KGU, or even just visit Kumamoto, I recommend visiting Aso!

Taking the Local Train

Sometimes, to get where you need to go in Japan, you need to take a train. In Kumamoto, you might want to go to a nearby city or town where a festival is taking place. Right now, there is a nice shopping mall called Yumetown that we can reach by 10 minutes on the train, but for future students that come here, they are building a new Yumetown much closer.

Anyway, we decided to make a short video about using the ticketing machine and the train schedule. It is fairly easy to understand, but it is nice to have an idea in advance of what you will encounter.


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Important Things to Know

I've made a list of some things I think people should review before coming to study Japanese in Japan. Within the first few weeks, and over the course of the first semester here, I encountered a few words or phrases that I didn't recognize at first, or that I saw other people having trouble with. So, reviewing these things before coming can help you avoid some awkward situations. I'll break it into two categories: Stores/Restaurants and In Class.

Christmas in Japan

Being Canadian we’re both used to a Christmas that is worlds apart from what we experienced here in Japan this year. At home, Christmas means presents, family, lots of turkey, stuffing, potatoes, pies, snow, cold… you get the idea. In Japan though, Christmas means different things. The family aspect is there to some extent, as are presents, but no turkey dinner, and no cold or snow (for us in Kumamoto anyway); Christmas in Japan is more of a couple’s day than anything else. It’s easy to forget, but Christmas is not a Japanese holiday, at all. It’s just another day for a lot of people.