1st day at school

After a short night again, this jet lag is terrible, this is time for me to get ready and go to the school (Genkijacs).

But before I try the breakfast at the dormitory.

This is a typical japanese breakfast: rice, soup, fries (????), broccoli :-(, egg and green tee.

Good to start the day!!!

And after direction the school, the weather today is so great, this is like summer.

the 1st thing at school is a test: 50 questions written in hiragana, I have needed more than one hour, and I have to say that at the end it was too much!!!!

Well my test was not so good, I couldn't remember some things that I new, but anyway.

So I am in the Buddha class, which is great.

So I have 4 lessons a day and we are 6 in the class, but it can change, people are coming and leaving everyday!!

It's a mix of german, french and swiss people in my class.

At school there are a lot of swiss people (arrrghhh :-), swiss german is spoken, how far do I have to go to escape that !!!!!)

So in the afternoon I had my 2 first lessons: not s easy: only japanese, everything in hiragana, many things to learn!!!

But that's good, that's the best way to learn. 

The school is full of student, which surprise me, and will all different levels, this is a big mix and probably the biggest concentration of white people in Fukuoka!!!

After school, I went back home to do my homework's.

On the way there are some funny things:

Japanese like these funny things, strange faces and great haircuts!!!






and also these strange animals! This one looks so cute.

and of course they are crazy about french food. But most of the time when you go in these shops only the name is french, the products are really japanese like. But they are so gooood!

like this kind of bread, you can find in those shops. This is very sweet, so not too much!

That's some of the streets I take. I have to say this is not very clear where I have to walk. There are bikes and people everywhere. Ok well not on this one.

 but on this one. See also the japanese style, with the famous "bob". This hat that you see everywhere.

Well today I have so many homework to do, that except that I am not really doing anything else. I hope That I can sleep well tonight!

this sunday

The beginning of the day was kind of difficult. I haven't sleep very well (thanks the jet lag) and this is very difficult to leave the bed...

But well I have things to do today.

First find where my school is: Easy I have a map. At the beginning it was working fine, but then I turn at the wrong place of course and got lost.

So with my best Japanese: Sumimasen ga, tasukete kudasai (Can you please help me). Kore wa doko ni desu ka? (Pointing on the map: where is this).

And the people in Fukuoka always helped me (always because I was lost several times). Sometimes in English and even in Japanese: And I understood and their indications where always correct!!!

Then I had a lunch (I passed the breakfast: sleeping or eating: today it was sleeping). At the train/bus/mall station.

Ok I had a chinese lunch, but I have reasons for that:

Not so much time (for the other restaurants there was some queue)

Not a big set (most of the time you have so much to eat!!)

And... it was delicious!!!

Then I met Ariel, an american girl contacted via Couchsurfing. First I had to find her. And this v is just too big. With x floors, the train being in the second floor :-). The food in the basement.

So once again with my best japanese I asked for help. And a very nice lady took me to the place.

The people are so nice there.

After that we spent the afternoon together. She showed me the shops, the best ramen restaurant and we went to canal city.

Canal city is another shopping mall, and there it was Halloween. So some kids and adults where having a costume contest: very nice.

 I tried some pumpkin ice cream: well not my favorite. And of course at the hippo restaurant everybody was looking:

Normally they are inside to eat with you, so cute.

After all that I was a bit dead so I went to the Yu no hana Onsen (thermal bad). This one is so great!!!

How to there:

First remove your shoes and put them in a box and take the key.

Go to the vending machine and buy your ticket.

Go with your ticket and key to a desk and exchange them for another key :-)

It is naked so women and men are separated. In this Onsen there are 2 floors, one for women and one for men, and they change regularly the floor.

So I was in the 2^nd floor:

Open another boy with my key, put all my stuff inside except a small towel that I will use.

Enter the onsen.

Wash yourself: they are some small seat in front of a shower and a mirror. Seat down and wash yourself everywhere with your small towel and the shampoo and soap provided. It can take a long time :-)

Then try all the baths if you can.

In this floor there was: 3 baths inside (2 mild hot and one cold) and a sauna, 2 baths outside (very hot: 40 degrees) another sauna, a foot bath, hot seats and some place to rest.

I spent 2 hours there!!!! I was red like usual, and some girl were worried and told me to drink: unfortunately it doesn't help!!!!!!

After that, one of my favorite drink:

you loose a lot of water in the onsen.

Then back to my place (and all that by foot!!!) to have a dinner at the cantine: rice, salad, fish, soup, pumpkin (this is the season:-)) and an halloween cake :-)

And after that, well I am done!!!!

My first dinner

There is something very nice in Japan: the convenient stores: 7 eleven, Lawson, ...

There you can buy anything you need and anytime.

So I bought my first dinner there:

And some of the things are surprise:

before: no idea what is inside





and after. But I think I am lucky with this one. Sometimes this is very strange

My room in Fukuoka

This is the room that I will have during 5 weeks:

Futon bed:

Climatisation

small and functional bathroom

But I have internet, a fridge and a desk, what else could I ask :-)

Now I am going to buy something at 7 eleven and try to get some sleep!!!

Lunch in the Shinkansen

This is something very special in Japan.

When you travel by train, you have to buy your lunch box.

You can buy them at the train station.

There is everything: Fish, meat, rice, sandwiches,....

My first one for this year is great: I have almost everything:

shrimp, meat, fish, a lot of rice, vegetables and things that I have no clue what it could be :-)

Generally this lunch boxes are cheap, mine was 1000 yen

What you have to do is also buy a drink at one of the vending machine, you can have hot and cold drink, coffee (Japanese love coffee), bier (more for the men)

That is one of my pleasure in Japan

A view from the nozomi

My ticket

Beginning of the trip!!

After a very long travel:

Plane: Zurich → Copenhagen → Tokyo

Total with waiting time: 18 hours

Train: Narita airport → Shinagawa → Hakata/Fukuoka

Total with waiting time:7 hours

And finally Subway, I am in my place where I will stay for 5 weeks!!!!

First nice things:

1- Zurich 5 degrees, Fukuoka 20 :-)

2- My first time in a Nozomi, this is the very fast train, they are so nice

3- A first lunch box after a long time

Still in Switzerland

For the moment I am still in Switzerland getting ready to start my trip...