Being Sick in Japan

So, something I was definitely not counting on whilst in Japan was an urgent need to go to the doctors!

After being in excruciating pain for 4 days, literally since I was on the plane, I was sobbing over the phone to my mum (because I was completely terrified and it hurt so much!) and she gave me the ultimatum to ask my teacher to take me to the doctors in the morning or she would call my school and tell them to send me an ambulance... haha...

It can be incredibly frightening to be so sick that you need to go to the doctors in a foreign country where you barely speak the language, and certainly don't know any medical terms beyond "I have a headache", "I have an earache" and "I feel sick". In Japan, it is much more common to go to the doctors for mostly anything, as opposed to here in the UK where I feel we do try to avoid it. I also know that in Japan, anything the doctor says is taken as fact, antibiotics are prescribed for most things, and in fact the whole process is completely different to booking a doctors appointment in England. 

Firstly, I asked my English-speaking teacher if she could take me to the doctors. Expecting to have to make an appointment, I was completely unprepared when she immediately grabbed her coat and lead me outdoors. The doctors surgery was only a few minutes walk from the school, and on the way there she asked me of all my symptoms.

Upon arriving at the doctors, we went into a small waiting room, I filled out some forms to say I was a foreigner I guess, and some of my symptoms, the receptionists puzzled over how to pronounce my name, then I sat and waiting awkwardly for ten or so minutes whilst my teacher checked over what was wrong.

After what felt like the most dramatic wait ever, my name was called and we were led to a second waiting room, where I had to put my bag and coat in a special box whilst I waited, I still don't understand why! After a few more minutes I was called into a doctors room like I had never seen before! Four doctors were lined up, with chairs in front of them, all with a patient bar one (my doctor!) and so many tools and things hanging from above and on moveable arms, I could seriously liken it to some mad scientists human experimentation room!

I sat awkwardly and terrifiedly down, whilst Watanabe-sensei explained what was wrong. She talked for a very long time, I had no idea what she was saying. The doctor talked back, also for a very long time. Watanabe-sensei explained that he needed to look in my ears and my throat, which I expected, but also up my nose and in my eyes, which was kinda weird. So he did, he then talked for a very very very long time, at least it felt like it. Finally Watanabe-sensei turned to me and said that I have two very bad ear infections, then she had to look up the word for 'sinus' because I also had a sinus infection and a mild throat infection, probably caused from a pocket of air swelling from the air pressure on the plane. Yes, I am super unlucky. I then got given two options. Medicine, or warm water squirted at high pressure up my nose to wash the infection out? Uhm, I think it was a no-brainer. I then got awkward and asked if they had any liquid medicine, because I don't think I could cope taking 3 capsules a day for a week the size of my little finger. He said yes, but it's kind of expensive, but at this point I wasn't fussed as long as the pain went!

I settled with this, and so left the surgery. I was so worried it would be expensive, as I had insurance but I knew I'd have to pay upfront then claim it back later, but it was only about ¥3000 (£17) for the appointment, then we had to go to the pharmacy and pay for the medicine... The 'liquid' medicine I got was actually a weird powder that I had to mix with water and down in one. Not fun. But I was surprised that this 'expensive' medicine was actually only another ¥3000, I was genuinely thinking £50+

FYI, that night I took the medicine, it was completely disgusting, I didn't quite make it in one go and I almost threw it up instantly, but amazingly it worked! Basically by the next day, all the pain had gone, and the only things left were an annoying cough, which I could cope with, and unequalized ears, so pretty much everything sounds very underwater. Actually, I still have problems with my ears now, I don't think it will ever go away at this point! 

But that pretty much sums up my experience with Japanese doctors. It was a weird one, a unique one, and a very unexpected one, but I'm glad I got to experience something like that, just in case it ever happens again!

'Til next time~ またね〜

My Time in Japan, Part 1!

So, is everyone ready to hear about my amazing adventure in Japan? For those unaware already, this past summer I travelled to Yokohama in Japan to study at Yokohama Design College, where I attended Japanese language and culture lessons for one month! I had the most amazing time of my life, despite the humidity, typhoons and bugs! I met some amazing friends, ate some amazing food, had some amazing experiences and brought back a load of amazing souvenirs!

Day 0 in Japan: So long, England! See you in a month! #travelling #japan #adventure

A photo posted by Jazz Thornton (@roverandomness) on Jul 7, 2014 at 4:15am PDT

The flight was an insane 12 hours... I was pretty lucky to get a direct flight though! I think I watched the lego movie twice, and slept some, also made friends with the guy sat next to me which definitely made it more bearable! Funny story, in the lobby before boarding we were both taking selfies with the plane and laughing at each other, and it just so happened that on a plane of 500 people we ended up being sat next to one another!

Day 1 in Japan: Well, I made it! #japan #travelling #adventure

A photo posted by Jazz Thornton (@roverandomness) on Jul 7, 2014 at 7:21pm PDT

The only other event of the flight though, a much less enjoyable sudden ear pain that I had gotten... I had been suffering with an ear infection prior to flying out that I thought I had gotten over, apparently I hadn't and it turns out that the next week of my life, no matter how amazing in Japan, was going to be incredibly painful. I'm still mega grateful to Robbie though (The guy I was sat next to!) as he managed to get me some painkillers and checked I was alright throughout the flight! Once we landed, I had a few hours to wait for my lift from the airport, and Robbie had a couple of hours till his conecting flight to Okinawa, so we had a nice breakfast (dinner? Lunch? Time zone confusion) together, I went to 'bagel and bagel'! It was sad when we had to part, and I still regret not getting some contact details to keep in touch since :(

Day 2 in Japan: Today I went exploring Yokohama, my accommodation is right next to a 24 hour mcdonalds... Also went to the Pokemon centre and got a new phone case! #japan #travelling #adventure

A photo posted by Jazz Thornton (@roverandomness) on Jul 7, 2014 at 3:50am PDT

After settling into my fairly quaint student accommodation all by myself, I decided to start exploring Japan immediately! I was super lucky, actually, that through this very blog I managed to meet a fellow Brit (Infact, the only other English person on the same course) before we both left for Japan! I met with Nikki for the very first time this day in Japan, as well as Svilen from Bulgaria. And these were just the first of some amazing international friends I found. Together, we explored the main centre of Yokohama, including the pokemon center! This was my first of many trips to this and other pokemon centers whilst I was in Japan, but this was the time that I got my AMAZING phone case! I also found that my accommodation was near a 2 hour McDonalds, which I ended up frequenting...

Day 3 in Japan: Today was the first day of school! We had a placement rest which was difficult and then orientation but that was it for today. After a few of us went to look around some shops and on my way home I may have stopped at mcdonalds... I have a new respect for foreign students, ordering mcdonalds in another language is hard! #japan #travelling #adventure #mcdonalds

A photo posted by Jazz Thornton (@roverandomness) on Jul 7, 2014 at 10:35am PDT

I think the caption for this day pretty much sums it up, the placement test was extremely long though, and some bits were so simple whilst others were complex, there wasn't much of a middle ground.

Days 4 and 5 in Japan: oops I forgot to photo yesterday, sorry! Yesterday was the first Japanese lesson, I think it was too easy for me though! I also had to go doctors yesterday boo! Today however was Mount Fuji, and Fuji-Q highland Theme Park! That roller coaster was crazy! We went on it first :p #japan #travelling #adventure #fujisan

A photo posted by Jazz Thornton (@roverandomness) on Jul 7, 2014 at 7:19am PDT

Day 4, my first Japanese lesson, which I was late too, as I had to go to the doctors first thing that morning. I think I should make my experience of being ill in Japan into its own post as there was a lot going on around it. It was exciting to start my first lessons though although the class was much too easy (though that was improved on in later lessons). Mount Fuji day and Fuji-Q Highland were something else though. I had already been to Mount Fuji before, the first time I'd been to Japan, but that was almost 6 years ago now! This time was just as busy with tourists, school coaches and day trips as I remembered though! It was a shame that it was such a cloudy day, when we arrived at the rest stop we couldn't see any of the peak at all, but there are so many shops and shrines up there that we still had plenty to do, I started off my collection of kit kats that day, with mount Fuji strawberry Cheesecake flavour. There are none left now. Fuji Q was pretty intense, our tickets included 4 free rides on whatever we wanted, I actually only ended up using 3 I think, as my ear infection was so painful I couldn't go on more rollercoasters, but I did make my first stop the "FUJIYAMA, the "KING OF COASTERS," which boasts world-class specs, including a maximum speed of 130 km/h (81 mph), a maximum drop of 70 m (230 ft.), and a maximum height of 79 m (259 ft.)" which was so incredible I could have done it 15 times in a row... There was also EVANGELION WORLD, which I was so excited about! Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of my favourite animes of all time, though I did get majorly freaked out by the giant life-size Unit 01 head going berserk, the gift shop for that was also a thing of beauty!


Theres more to come on my adventures in Japan, I thought separating it out would help with the sheer amount, but the more I think about tit the more I want to share and talk about! It's also maing me incredibly nostalgic, and now all I know is I have to make it back to Japan sometime! 'Til next time~ またね〜

久しぶり！(Long time no see!)

Well hello everyone! It has been a long time, hasn't it?

Seems I got so caught up in things I rather started to neglect this blog again... I even have so many unpublished drafts that a lot of them are a little outdated now which is a shame!

A lot has happened in these few months though, most notably, my month in Japan (Which, as expected, completely flew by!) so really I have an awful lot to talk about on here, and hopefully I can get back into the habit of blogging again, though I now have a completely full time job! I have decided to aim for fortnightly blog posts, which I hope will be achievable, though I haven't set a day just yet as my days off are actually quite sporadic, though I'm anticipating that it will be Fridays.

So, maybe you are wondering what I got up to in Japan? I actually kept a daily instagram whilst I was there, with little stories of what I got up to, so hopefully my next few blogs will be talking a bit about that and the sort of things I got upto in Yokohama. I'm also going to work on a few drafts that aren't outdated to mix things up a bit, hopefully I can keep motivated this time, so keep an eye out for me!

'Til next time~ またね〜

Yokohama, and Yokohama Design College

こんばんは、みんな！

I wanted to talk a little about where I am planning on staying and studying when I visit Japan this summer! I've talked a little about Yokohama city before, but not in great detail, and I think I've only briefly mentioned the school I will be studying at, Yokohama Design College! 

I found out about this college through gogonihon.com, a site I was originally looking at to do their own summer course, and potential year-long Japanese course at one of the many schools they are linked with, and when looking through all the potential language schools I could go to, Yokohama Design College really caught my eye.

I didn't actually use Go Go Nihon to book my place on the summer course though, I actually got into contact with their international correspondent to ask a few questions about the course, and when I was finally ready (after she answered all my questions) she booked my place on the course, and sorted out my accommodation for me! Now, although I haven't seen the accommodation, it is a single flat in student accommodation, so I won't have to share a room with someone I don't know (and potentially don't share a language with) but I should still be around some of the other summer students should I make friends! I have been told the flat is 5 stops/20 minutes away from the college, I don't have the address yet though and I'm actually uncertain whether that is by train or bus, haha!

As you may be able to tell from the name, Yokohama Design College is not just a language school, but also an art college. Attending an art college now, and being as interested in illustration and other artistic subjects as I am, this was a big factor into my division to study at this college. As part of the summer course, language students get the chance to join in with some of the design lessons going on in the rest of the college. This includes subjects like badge making, illustration, manga techniques and translation, and I'm actually really looking forward to trying some arty stuff out. There are also Japanese culture lessons scattered in through the language lessons, and they include things like shodo (Japanese calligraphy), a tea ceremony and trips to Japanese temples and shrines, as well as a trip to disneyland and the sky tree that are listed on the itinerary! I don't know if I'm actually mostly excited for Disneyland now!

I will be in Japan for a little over a month, I intend to leave England on the 19th of July, and Leave Japan on the 23rd of August, even though the simmer course runs from the 22nd or July till the 15th August. I wanted to give myself a day or so to adjust when I arrived, and possibly find out how to reach the college, and I thought an extra week after I've finished to do some touristy things would be a perfect idea!

I'm really excited and terrified actually, and some of the things I am worried about are completely stupid (like, what do I do about cutlery and plates when I get there?!). This will not only be my first time living alone, but also my first time travelling abroad alone and I'm not going to know anybody at all.

I am glad I chose to stay in Yokohama for this trip. The more I research the area and watch videos etc. the more I think it was the perfect choice for me. Although at some point I would like to go and stay around the Chūgoku/Hiroshima area, I think around the Kanto region is the kind of area I would be most comfortable in. I have always grown up near the sea for one, and Yokohama really reminds me of Plymouth, in South West England where I currently go to University.

Yokohama is a beautiful seaside port town, the first port and harbour built in Japan to accommodate foreigners bringing in trade from across the sea in the 1800's. Since then, the city has grown dramatically, and now is great tourist attraction for both foreigners and the Japanese. There are hundreds of shops and restaurants along the waterfront, and possibly my favourite bit, Cosmo World, a theme park on the waters edge that boasts the worlds second largest ferris wheel (which is also the worlds largest clock!). I don't know if I will be too afraid to go on the wheel (certainly I will be by myself) but theres also a roller coaster and various other attractions that I am sure I will be visiting. The other great thing about Yokohama is the proximity to Tokyo! An hour on the train and you can be in central Tokyo, and exploring Tokyo is definitely something I am looking forward to a lot.

I hope my strange ramblings have made Yokohama and the design college sound like idea places to visit and study; I am certainly looking forward to going and I just wanted to share my excitement with you all!

Enjoy this cute tourism video I found of Yokohama! Till next time, またね〜

Kinda irresponsible of me...

I appear to have taken a very long and very unexpected hiatus, and for any readers who actually read, for that I am very very sorry!

A lot has happened in the last few months, hopefully over the next few days/weeks I will write up a whole load of posts to document everything evenly.

Probably the most important thing being however, I have been accepted into the summer school at Yokohama design college! All fees are paid and ready to go! I will make a much more detailed post about this at some point, but I just thought I should start now trying to get back into blogging! I have a whole load of things I want to talk about so hopefully I can make it pretty regular again!

'Til next time~ またね〜

Yokohama City

Aaah! I don't believe it's been two months since my last post! I wasn't supposed to take a break! I actually have a whole bunch of half written draft posts, but todays topic is something I have really wanted to post about for a while anyway, so I thought I might as well.

As I have mentioned before, I plan to go to Japan next summer for a month long summer school, so that I can be certain that I can cope by myself in Japan before I go there for an entire year!

Well, I've known for a while where I shall hopefully be going, and that is Yokohama Design School, as they are also a language school! And so in anticipation (which is funny really as I haven't even got a place yet or anything) I have been conducting research about Yokohama and the surrounding areas. The city itself lies on Tokyo Bay, almost directly south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu. It was Japan's original international port and I think it is the perfect place for me as I have always grow up and lived by the sea. It is an hour and 20 minutes away from the centre of Tokyo, and has a beautiful big wheel and lighthouse, I kind of want to compare it to Plymouth but I know it is much bigger!

I want to make a much more informative post on Yokohama and the design school at some point, but for now this is it!

Til next time! (Which hopefully won't be so long this time!)