updates

License plates: The small number at the top denotes the size of the car's engine. Tax on the car is dependent on engine size. How do you say this in Japanese? NO IDEA!!

Toilets: From the squatty potty to the amazing toilet seat with bidet incorporated, taking care of business is always an adventure. My dorm is fully equipped with Washlets. I'd try to describe the experience, but I'll let the company speak for itself: http://www.washlet.com/

Class: I've only had one day of class so far, but I can already feel the difference in teaching style and pedagogy. In Japanese, my professor criticizes students for mistakes with what seem like harsh comments ("do you want to go back to first year?" "you always mess up particles, don't you"). A good part of class (which is three hours) is spent memorizing sentences and repeating them back to her. When asked to sum up what we learned at the end of class, she didn't want us to put things in our own words, but recite, in order, the string of sentences we had memorized. I guess repetition is key in language learning, but this feels a little mindless. Since my Japanese professors have all been Japanese, I didn't expect there to be such a difference in the way class is run here. I think I'm gonna learn a lot though, so I guess there's more than one way to skin that cat!