Dinner in the park

Yesterday we had dinner in the park near our school, here are some pictures of the park in the darkness:

It really looked a lot nicer than my camera managed to capture (I'm not very good with cameras).

Entrance Ceremony

Got up "early" today to get ready for the entrance ceremony at 10 o' clock. I was wearing a suit like lot's of others but many students were wearing their national outfits which was fun to see. I don't think Sweden has a national outfit though, and if it does it's, it's probably the clothes that look like this:

And NO ONE wants to wear that (except old people on Midsummer's day).

All the new students their student card and were then allowed to enter the room of the ceremony.
Aparently you have to have this card with you wherever you go, just like the resident card (Japan why you so strict, eh?).

The ceremony was all in Japanese so I didn't understand that much, neither did most of the others so the clapping was kind of awkward "ok, should we clap now? no? now? ok! *clap.. clap CLAPCLAPCLAP*".
After the ceremony though, we got to see a video about the school and two older students explained in English everything that was going on in the video.

At the entrance ceremony

Stupid selfie of me in suit (you can not even see the suit that well -.-)

Tonight I'm going to a restaurant with some people and tomorrow morning is the placement test!

I've made it one week in Japan!

Finally my first update from Japan! We got internet to our rooms just yesterday so not until that time could I finally speak to my parents on Skype. Now I've spoken with both of them (with mom I spoke from 12 to 01.40 at night and I still didn't want to stop. I miss my parents so much (aka it's hard to grow up!).

So far we haven't had any classes yet so I have spent most of my days sleeping until noon, visiting nearby stores and going to supermarkets to buy food.
Today I went with two others to a department store because one of them needed clothing for the entrance ceremony, when it was all done we bought some things at a grocery store and then went to "Mister Donuts" (you can guess what you do at that place). It was really tasty, I want to go there many more times (no, mom, I will not go there every day so don't worry).

Later the same day we ate dinner at 7 in the nearby park. It was really beautiful, full of sakura and lanterns in the trees but unfortunately the pictures I took didn't really catch that beauty.

The entrance ceremony is tomorrow at 10 in the morning and I am looking forward to it right now, buuut, I have to idea what it really is all about so it might be very boring. Still, nice to finally be close to starting school, because on Friday we have our placement tests and then on Monday we finally start class.

Here are some obligatory pictures:

 (Took it just because it's manga)

   (Sakura from the park near our school)

Last days in Sweden

On Tuesday I will take the plane to the airport in Stockholm and from there get on a plane to Finland and from Finland to Japan!
I tried packing my big luggage bag today (the one that you get to have 23 kg in) and quickly realised that I had to leave a lot at home. Even leaving some stuff behind it was still hard to shut the bag. Most of it is just clothes that I could buy new pairs of but since I'm cheap I'd rather just bring with me what I have and not buy any new clothing unless I really have to. I hope I don't have to get rid of even more stuff for the bag to go within the 23 kg boundary...

Moving on: Tomorrow I will have dinner with my family + a childhood friend of mine that I haven't met for a while now. Yesterday I was out with one of my parents and my 2 younger siblings to an Italian restaurant (because Italian food is awesome) and then to the cinema to see a nice Swedish comedy movie.

I'm also going to go to the store to buy some "werid" Swedish candy and Lakrits to bring to Japan. The plan is that if I manage to make any friends I'll get them to try a bit of Lakrits *evil plan* and hopefully they'll still want to stay my friends afterwards..

Next time I'll update, I will be in Japan (unless the plane f's up and we end up in the ocean outside of Australia).

じゃあ、またな！

The 2014 Swedish invasion of Japan!

The invasion I am talking about is the "high" number of people that I in some way know, that are going to Japan this year to study. My cousin and a friend from my first Japanese course are both going to Osaka, funding their studies by themselves. (By the way, me and my cousin going to Japan the same year and to the same city as well was a total coincidence). There are also two more Swedes going to Japan on the same scholarship as me and one for another scholarship that I met and felt like I got to know at the last embassy meeting. Last the person that didn't get the scholarship that we got will be going self funded.
Those are all the people I know in someway, five in total. I didn't count the people I don't know that are also going on a scholarship to Japan (I only met them at the meeting and didn't get to know them very well) we we're 9 in total, I think. Most people will be going this April, but a few are coming in later.

So yea, maybe 5 doesn't sound like a lot but it feels strange to already know so many people that are going to Japan. To me it really feels like a Swedish invasion of some sort!

Last embassy meeting and tickets

Yesterday I took the train down to Stockholm to attend the last meeting at the embassy of Japan before our departure. We got our passports returned (with a visa in them) and we got to listen to a lecture about 'communication over cultural boundaries'. It was very interesting. We also got to talk to a former grantee (though they could only get a hold of one, since everyone else had stayed to work in Japan apparently), and we got to see our time of departure.
After everything was done they brought in sushi!

I will be going on the 1st of April (just like I hoped) and will be flying with Finnair (just like I hoped!) which means the only plane switch I have to make is in Finland which is like an hours plane flight from Sweden. After that it's straight to Kansai airport. It seems like I am the only one from Sweden going to Osaka this year, and everyone else to Tokyo.

Next long trip I make will be to Japan.

Osaka Sogo College of Design 大阪総合デザイン専門学校

Now I know where I will continue to after a year at the language school - Osaka Sogo College of Design - The manga department.
*Awesome*
Looks like my life in Japan will be all in Osaka. Feels good. Right in the middle of Japan, a funny accent, "near" the sea and of course not as  many people as in Tokyo.

Sad thing though, I can't understand a lot from the schools homepage https://www.oscd.jp/ because it's all in Japanese and most in Java (meaning you can't use google translate)!
If I'm correct, the school doesn't have any dorms (because they'd probably have pictures of them if they had any, and I can't find pictures of any dorms) so I guess I have to find an apartment. Hopefully I can get one close that I can share with a Japanese person, but we'll see. Living alone isn't bad either.

The school is around 30 minutes from Osaka Language Education Center, if you walk and go by train. I don't know if it's as near the city center (it's in Kita ward) as Tennouji but it seems good.

Really want to go now! Just one month left (heck yeah!).