harowin!

...as in Halloween like it's pronounced in Japanese. Halloween has recently become a big thing in Japan, as far as causing trouble, apparently. I just stayed in Kyoto, and didn't even go out clubbing in central or anything, so I don't have anything to comment on that - I think it's more of a problem in bigger cities.

So what did I do for Halloween? Well, I evolved into Pikachu for the entire weekend, which was fun but slightly uncomfortable at times because it gets really warm in that outfit! I mean, I left home thinking that this is the most comfortable thing I've ever worn to a party before, and if I end up drinking too much and just passing out as soon as I get home, it doesn't even matter since I'm already kinda in my jammies. But then, since at parties you're mostly just inside all the time with a bunch of other people, wearing a fleece onesie is not the best choice for the night. Plus, as you're straining to carry on a conversation in Japanese, which requires tremendous effort and sometimes even feels like a physical workout... phew. There are two ways to get drenched in sweat while staying still - either planking (no, not that weird meme thing but the actual exercise), or dressing up as Pikachu for Halloween parties. Oh, and sauna, of course. Too obvious, almost forgot.

That was also part of the reason I didn't go clubbing yesterday when a lot of others did - I'm pretty sure some people were even nuts enough to take the train to Osaka for an all-nighter at a rooftop party. I don't know if I'm too old or just lazy, but that was really an impossible idea for me from the start; after one nomihodai party, to endure an hour-long train ride to get to another, then stay there for the night at what is probably a very noisy club, then spend another hour on the morning train back home. Like, when I go out partying, I want to relax and have fun, instead of working my ass off just to get to a party and back. But I do hope that the people who ended up going had lots of fun! And it would've been cool - just look back at the pictures that I posted after visiting Osaka, and imagine partying at a rooftop club somewhere around there - but if I ever do that, I'm booking myself a hotel room for a good night's sleep right afterwards.

Anyway, here are a few pictures from this weekend's events. On Friday, I went to a Halloween event organized by SIED, which I think is like the ESN equivalent in this university. It was fun, we made candy apples and had snacks and bingo and stuff - sorta like one of those birthday parties you had when you were a kid. I made a bunch of new friends, and for some reason, whenever I told people I'm from Finland, the first thing they asked me was if I'd seen northern lights. Like, I don't think I've been asked that too many times before, and certainly not as the opening line of the very first conversation I have with somebody. But apparently here it's something that everybody gets excited about, and, in addition to Moomin, one of the first images people have when they think of the Nordic countries. Some people really just flipped when I told them that my family lives in the countryside where there's no light pollution whatsoever, which means that I've borne witness to several pretty amazing aurora spectacles.

Competing with the official Doshisha photographer.

The party posse.

So once again, thank you SIED for organizing such events, makes it so much easier to make new friends here! The good thing for me was that I went alone, with no Finnish or English speaking friends, so was actually forced to speak Japanese all the time. And it's getting easier, I think - this morning, after two days of using conversational Japanese, and having had a dream in Japanese as well, I felt like something's finally clicked in my brain. It's hard to explain, but somehow I've just started to understand the language, how it works and how people use it, so that I'm not just staring open-mouthed whenever somebody talks to me, but might actually be able to respond in the expected manner.

But yeah, about last night's party, I almost forgot. So if the Friday's event was a children's party, this was most definitely an adult one, with nomihodai and all. It was held in a café right next to my place, which I was happy about - a Halloween with no fuss at all, just get inside the Pikachu, walk a few hundred meters and you've arrived at the party venue. Then make the wise decision of not going through the trouble to get to Osaka and back, and get to bed before midnight, and happiness ensues. And, on top of that, Maija insisted on cooking me dinner before the party (thanks again, Maija, it was delicious as always!), so the biggest effort, really, was with the language, again. But it's an effort that really pays off!

Thank you So and Shin for organizing this party!

When I woke up in the morning and looked at my phone display, I realized it's already November! I've been here for almost two months now. I've got to admit that, while the first month just flew past, the past month's been a bit slow from time to time. I've got a busy schedule, which is why I like to get a lot of rest on the weekends, but then, when you're just at home alone not really doing anything, it gets pretty boring pretty quickly. But now that I've made some new friends here, and I'm actually expecting a visitor this month as well, it should be alright - despite the fact that it's actually starting to get colder now! Japan's not big on insulation, and since I've got huge windows/balcony doors in my room, the temperature inside is pretty much the same as outside... I do have the aircon, but I'm still a bit undecided whether I want to be using it all the time or not, since it dries up the air a bit too much. Would be too ironic, though, to come here from Finland where it gets as cold as -30 degrees in the winter, and then freeze to death in my own room, so in the end I might just have to make use of the aircon to avoid such a fate.

Well, this was all for today. The next post will probably include a shitload of photos around Kyoto, since the momiji season (that's when the leaves turn red) is reaching it's peak in a week or two. It's supposedly very pretty around here at that time. Mata ne!