To make up for the delays caused by last weekend’s (mis)adventures in Osaka, I’ve amped up my daily kanji goals to 125. It’s been consuming every waking moment of my life. I’ve cancelled all of my other plans this week and weekend. If I can just manage to stay on track for a few more days, I’ll have finished RIGHT by my target date – 2,050 kanji in one month exactly.
And the timing couldn’t be better. Springtime is here.
When I first arrived in Japan on December 27th, I could scarcely go outside without getting frostbite. I got on the plane in LA wearing board shorts, flip-flops and a tank top – and boy, was that a mistake. The giant thermometer at Shijo and Kamogawa rarely read above 2 or 3 degrees Celsius. The out-door hangouts were dead, roads were slippery, and bikes were rusting.
But today I saw that thermometer all the way up at 19 degrees. I saw groups of teenagers gathered around the riverbanks drinking beer and playing the guitar, little old ladies walking their dogs in kimonos, and a young girl dressed up as a bowling pin. Yes, the city has officially come back to life.
And as I said, what perfect timing. While spending the last month Starbuck’s-hopping may not have been the optimal way to spend my time in Japan, I’m glad that I got all of the Kanji out of the way right from the start. Now I have a trip to Tokyo with my roomates to look forward to, followed by the move to my new apartment, followed by the commencement of classes at Ritsumeikan. And of course, Sakura.
And to top it all off, I have my camcorder back from the states, so I should be able to document all of the fun.
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