This afternoon I came home from school with a heavy heart knowing that I had hours of studying ahead of me. Not only do I have two projects, a group project and an individual project, due tomorrow for my Business and Management class, but I also have a kanji test and a reading test in Japanese class tomorrow. The teachers sure know how to pile on the work all at the same time! So I see my host father doing some gardening in the backyard. I explained to him how I wanted to go out to karaoke with some friends, but instead I had to come home early so I could study. I was hoping to elicit some sympathy from him, but instead all he said was 勉強しなさい (benkyo shinasai), which is a quite informal command form for "so go study," said by someone who is clearly a superior to someone who is younger. Maybe Otousan responded this way because he is a teacher himself...? I'm not mad, though, I thought his response was funny. Speaking of Otousan, he is always out in the backyard doing some kind of gardening whenever he has free time during the day and he's at home. My host family's home is unusual in that they have a backyard, which is more than many people in Japan can say, even though it is quite small compared to my family's backyard at home. I would like to ask Otousan about what he does all day in the backyard, but somehow I don't feel like I can. Maybe that means I'm not as comfortable with my host family as I thought...? But I don't think I could ever ask to help him out there, it's like the garden is his own private turf. Whereas I feel comfortable asking Okaasan to help her cook dinner even though the kitchen definitely is her turf. Anyway, I've actually learned a lot in accounting class. I didn't know a thing about balance sheets and profit and loss statements in the U.S., but now I know the important figures to look at when reading those sheets. I know how to calculate certain ratios, such as the current ratio and the equity ratio, and I know which figures to use in order to calculate those ratios. I also know how to use the information I've found to draw certain conclusions about whether a company is at risk or is safe. I'm quite glad I've learned a little about accounting. As I'm typing this post, there is a car driving by my window that is blaring a loud message through megaphones. Many cars have been doing that lately. If I am just sitting in my room, I occasionally hear cars go by that are blaring loud announcements. I'm not sure for what purpose people are making announcements because I haven't asked a Japanese person yet, but I'm guessing the cars and announcements may be for the upcoming municipal elections in Kobe. I've heard that there will be an election soon, but I'm not sure when. Anyway, it's another interesting cultural difference!

Sunday evening I tasted Kobe beef for the first time! Unfortunately, it may also be the last time due to the price, but it was so delicious! It really did melt in my mouth! I went to a restaurant in Hotel Okura, the same hotel at which I stayed during my orientation during the first few days of this study abroad trip, with four other foreign exchange students from my program, and we all thoroughly enjoyed the meal. We were also served grilled vegetables, soup, and rice, with apple sorbet for dessert. The meat was accompanied by a creamy miso sauce and a salty soy-type sauce. There was also spicy mustard and salt for the meat. My only criticism of the meal was that the food and sauces were slightly salty for my taste. But Japanese cuisine uses a lot of salt, and I think it's believed to be good for the body by people living here in Japan. At this restaurant the meat was grilled in front of our eyes, so we could see the server cook it. She was very friendly and quite complimentary of our Japanese language speaking ability. When I returned home from the hotel on Sunday evening, I was informed by my host family that I am no longer allowed to climb up Mount Maya to do pull-ups by myself. They said it's simply not safe because there are not a lot of people on the mountain, so if I were to encounter someone, I could easily be assaulted. They are trying to prevent anything bad from happening to me, and I understand where they are coming from and appreciate their protection, so I'm not too disappointed. Besides, I have other foreign exchange student friends who want to do pull-ups with me, so I won't have trouble finding people to accompany me. In fact, I will be going up to the mountain shortly to exercise, so I must be off!

This weekend included a lot of shopping. I'm lacking warm clothes, and Kobe became cold more quickly than I originally anticipated, so I decided to brave the crowds and check out the stores in downtown Kobe. On Saturday afternoon I went shopping with Yoko, and that was an interesting experience. She took me to a bunch of stores that sold cute clothes with intricate patterns and designs, and I while I admire Japanese women for wearing their fashion sense, I could never picture myself wearing the same style. So I didn't feel like buying anything at those stores, and we ended up at a karaoke store instead, singing the afternoon away (me in English and Yoko in Japanese). Today I went shopping with an elementary school friend of Ryosuke's whose name is Yuri (her name means "lily" in English). She is about my age, so she took me to stores with sophisticated yet still cute and modest clothes. I wasn't too interested in those types of clothes, but when she took me to a different shopping area that had simply designed yet form-fitting clothes, I perked up. I found out some interesting rules about clothes shopping in Japan today. One must remove her shoes before entering the dressing room, and if one is wearing makeup, she must place a disposable gauze net over head while putting on or removing the store's clothes to avoid rubbing facial makeup on the clothing. I felt so silly standing in the dressing room with a huge gauze net over my head. But I purchased one shirt today, so I guess in that sense today's shopping trip was slightly more successful than yesterday's.

I took another test in Japanese class today. Japanese is still difficult, and it's a favorite question for Japanese people to ask me: "Is Japanese language difficult to learn?" I always answer yes, but if people compliment me on my language skills I feel happy because it's nice to receive some positive feedback.

My Business and Management in Japan class has become challenging for me. Our current unit is an overview of accounting, for which I have no background. However, I am working on a group project with three very kind classmates, one of whom is a fellow U of I student who majored in accounting, and the other two are studying abroad in conjunction with the Cologne Business School, so I am in very good hands. They are all very patient and help me out as I try to get the hang of the current ratio and equity ratio and other such equations that are completely foreign to me but apparently second-hand to those studying business.

This evening to celebrate the end of the week, students wanted to get together on the beach and grill some barbecue meat. We bought vegetables and packages of meat and brought them to the beach, but shortly after we arrived, beach security came over and told us we couldn't grill on the beach! We were so disappointed, but the grandfather of one of the Japanese students in the group happened to own a restaurant a few train stops away from the beach, and the student said we could bring our food there and the people in the restaurant would cook it for us! So we were still able to eat grilled meat and spend quality time with our friends.

We had an earthquake drill in class today, hence the picture of students crouching under desks. I also rode my friend Toru's motorcycle today! Don't worry, I wore a helmet while riding the motorcycle!

A few things I've learned about Japanese beliefs since I arrived here almost a month and a half ago...

Do not whistle at night time while walking outside. It is believed that the sound of whistling will attract thieves or people who may try to harm you.

It is considered bad luck to kill spiders if you find one inside your home because spiders are said to help keep homes clean. Instead, one should try to relocate the spider to an outdoor area.

Japanese people believe in the phenomenon of shokuyoku, or a big appetite, occurring each autumn. It is said that once the weather becomes cool (which, unfortunately, it has), appetites increase, and people are not going outdoors as much and thus not expending as many calories as they do during the summer.

Maybe this explains why I have been feeling the urge to eat a lot lately. However, I'm trying to combat the imminent weight gain by getting out and enjoying the surrounding mountains. Today a friend and I walked twenty minutes up the path on Mount Maya near my host family's home and found some pull-up bars. We did pull-ups and chin-ups and then walked back down the mountain.

Just as I thought, I did not do as well on yesterdays' test as I would have liked. However, I have another test in Japanese class this Friday and then three midterm examinations for Japanese class next week, so I have plenty of chances to boost my grade.

Today citizens all across Japan celebrated 秋まつり (aki matsuri, or Autumn Festival). My friend Saki kindly invited me to celebrate with her in her hometown area, which is a two-hour train ride from Kobe. I enjoyed the trip out to the countryside, and the celebrations were immensely fun to watch. I feel as though I had a true cultural experience today.

I met up with Saki and with Maddie, another foreign exchange student, at the train station in downtown Kobe around 9:30 A.M. We then rode the train for two hours to a town called Fukusaki. Saki herself is from Shinmachi, a smaller town near Fukusaki. Fukusaki is a sort of centrally located area between many small towns in that area of Hyogo Prefecture. To celebrate the autumn festival, each local ward brings out a yatai, which supposedly weighs 1,400 kilograms, and ideally is held up by seventy men. The yatai is difficult for me to describe because I can't find an exact definition for it. It is a type of cart, stand, or framework made out of bamboo. On top of the stand is a gilded structure covered in brocade and rich fabric, elaborately adorned with tassels, lanterns, and other designs and objects. It looks like a one-room house, and inside are four taiko, or drums, and four boys, ages 10-12, play the taiko as the (ideally) seventy men carry the yatai through the town streets toward the shrine where they will pray for three hours to ask for a fruitful harvest. Fukusaki is famous for celebrating the autumn festival because twelve yatai from twelve surrounding ward areas are brought to Fukusaki, and then together in one huge procession the twelve yatai are carried to a nearby shrine area and the three hours of prayer commence.

I enjoyed the atmosphere, which was full of excitement and merriment. Only men carry the yatai, and only boys play the taiko. Women and girls enjoy the festivities through watching. The men carry the yatai many kilometers through the countryside (or through the city if they celebrate in an urban area), and it is very heavy. So to help ease the burden, men wake up very early (before seven) on the morning of the autumn festival and commence drinking at about seven in the morning. They drink for a few hours (or until sufficiently drunk), and then carry the yatai to the shrine. Thus there were many drunk, energetic men (anywhere from ages 18 to ~70) running through the streets today, and I saw some very surprising behavior (men chugging beer and dancing on the sidewalks) and heard some funny comments (things people normally would not say if sober). The yatai looked extremely heavy to carry, however, so everyone was grunting and sweating as they bore the yatai up the road toward the shrine. Groups from local wards were always conscious of their wa, group harmony, and energy, so the groups had to work as a team and always appear energetic while bearing the yatai.

I was so happy at the end of the day to have partaken in such a festival. I feel as though I experienced a unique part of Japan and that I learned a lot about Japanese culture today.