I’m very pleased and happy to announce that I am now in possession of my Certificate of Eligibility from Japan!! (Ignore my shitty picture.) What exactly does a Certificate of Eligibility do? Well, it speeds up the Visa application process by a lot, supposedly. When you apply for to study abroad in Japan, your school of choice should give you a fancy form for you to fill out. They then send it to the Ministry of Justice. Several MONTHS later, you receive this fancy certificate. I understand now why it took so long to get all my acceptance paperwork - we were waiting for the Ministry of Justice to issue my Certificate of Eligibility. We sent the form to the school way back at the end of October. The date on the certificate shows January 20th. Obviously, it takes a while.

As part of my very small acceptance package, I also received my Admissions Certificate. It comes on fancy, easily voidable paper. Now, supposedly, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan’s website, I will need the following items: passport two 45mm x 45mm passport-type photos taken within the previous six months (stateless persons must submit three photos) two official visa application forms, available at the embassy or consulate documents certifying the purpose of the visit (see the accompanying table)

The “accompanying table” says:

College Student

1.) A copy of a certificate of admission from the educational institution where the person concerned intends to study. In the case where he or she intends to study as a research student or an auditor, documents certifying the substance of the research or the subjects and the number of lessons from the educational institution concerned.

2.) Documents certifying that the person concerned can defray all expenses incurred during the stay in Japan. In cases where the expenses incurred during the stay in Japan are defrayed by another person, documents certifying the income of the person who intends to defray all expenses and documents showing why he or she intends to defray all expenses for the person concerned are required.

Now, I called the consulate yesterday to get verification on some of the questions found on the Visa Application, such as “What do I put for ‘Address of hotels or names and addresses of persons with whom applicant intends to stay’?” and other questions that are found at the bottom of the application. Well, here’s what you put:

Click to see full image

Also, I was trying to ask about the #2 piece of additional documents, but the guy I talked to insisted that I just needed the basic essentials found in the first blockquote. I don’t really trust what he says, so I’m going to bring everything with me anyways.

You can count on me blogging my Visa application process. I’ll be going to get it on Friday. Stay tuned.

Last night while I was listening to music, I decided to try that “genius” thing that iTunes has now. It picks music out of your library that is somewhat similiar to the song you choose. I picked a Luna Sea song, just to see if it would even work (it doesn’t work on all songs). In the mix was a Miyavi song, which I discovered I very much like.

Today when I was waiting for a class to start, I played the Miyavi song again. I thought to myself, “Man, this song is so good. Why did it take me so long to decide to give this musician a try?” Then I remembered that what scared me away from him was the rabid fangirls who were panting over how “hot” he is. Sorry, he’s not my cup of tea in the looks department. But GODDAMN is he a wonderful musician. Godly with the guitar, I might even argue.

This conversation with myself started me thinking about how it was that I became Japanese music in the first place, and thus my interest in most things Japanese.

When I was the tender age of 12, my family had just moved back to Kansas for educational reasons (free college tuition). I remember one day after school, I turned on the TV to find something to watch. We had Cartoon Network. When I turned it on that day, it was in the middle of a Dragonball Z episode. I had never seen the show before, so I watched it.

Cartoon Network had the following “Toonami” lineup when Moltar was still working the joint (I’m not sure the order):

Sailor Moon
Dragonball Z
Ronin Warriors
ReBoot
Gundam Wing

Honestly I don’t recall Ronin Warriors very well, but I do remember liking it. I was quite obsessed with all those shows for a while, though mostly my obsession lied with Gundam Wing and Sailor Moon (I became obsessed with ReBoot later in my life).

After watching Gundam Wing maybe three times, I started paying attention to the opening theme. Although sung in English, I fell in love. So I wandered online to try to find the song, and all I could find was the Japanese version. I downloaded it. That was the beginning of my Japanese music obsession.

Being anime-obsessed at the time, I started finding more and more anime songs - mostly from Gundam Wing and Sailor Moon. I found a wonderful resource for Sailor Moon songs - http://www.sailormusic.net/ . Soon enough, I had quite the large anime music collection. If you’ve visited this site in the past, you might remember it being an anime music resource. =B In fact, I think my “Yusuke’s Reign” section is still running and still gets some downloads from time to time.

Eventually I started to branch out. I started listening to an online Japanese music radio station. This introduced me to artists like L’arc-en-Ciel, Speed, Hamasaki Ayumi, and Suzuki Ami. From there I moved onto Gackt, The Pillows, and Do As Infinity.

Although I’m not a great fan of anime anymore - I’ve probably seen less than 20 all together - I never would have found my most favorite band in the entire world had it not been for my mom’s obession with Full Metal Alchemist (yes, it was my MOM who introduced me to FMA): ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION.

I’ve been in an out college a few times. When I was living in Kansas, I was going to college for a Physics and Math major. My interests lied with Astronomy, but the college I attended did not have astronomy as a major. After a while, I got sick of the program and the school, so I decided to drop out. I tried college briefly one more time after that (night classes), but didn’t even make it two sessions before I decided it wasn’t for me.

I worked for a while at various office jobs that I absolutely despised. In 2005, I decided I wanted to go back to school. I also decided that I would go to a school I wanted to go to, with programs that I wanted to major in. I pondered going to the University of Hawaii in Hilo, but I was too scared of having an ocean between me and my family.

I decided on University of Washington. I had lived in WA for six months prior to moving back to Kansas, so I knew it wasn’t such a bad place. I applied to the school… and didn’t get in.

I lived in Kansas another year before my parents decided they wanted to move back to Washington. I was still deteremined to go to school at UW, so I went with them, leaving my friends behind.

I applied again. While I waited for my answer and to obtain WA residency, I worked another office job. Just as I couldn’t take the job anymore and decided to quit, I received my answer: No.

Pretty much hating the world at the point, I decided I was going to move back to Kansas. I packed up my car to the brim (no shit), and started out. I didn’t even make it to the Oregon border before I decided to turn around.

Although late in the year, I decided to try my luck once again with college. I sent out an application to another WA school that had Japanese as a major, but Astronomy was only a minor. It was then that I decided to make my main focus for school Japanese. After, I had spent the last seven years listening to nothing but Japanese music. Wasn’t it about time for me to actually learn the damn language?

Even though the application deadline had passed, I was accepted into the college. Thus, in the fall of 2007, I began my long journey to learn the Japanese language - at least in a serious, academic setting. I had tried it by myself, but as I’ve stated many times before, I lack self-discipline.

I’ve been spending the last year and half learning the language I love for ten years now. It all started because of the opening song for Gundam Wing. My brother thought it was a phrase I would grow out of. While the anime side is true, the Japanese part was definitely not.

Who would have guessed it.

Lyrics from Senshigakuen.com. Read her notes, I think it’s … noteworthy.

mazariaeba ii     tsumetaku atatakaku     uta yo     anata ni todoke
kirameku keshiki o     hiroiatsumeteku     sora wa     BLUE ni kawaru
suketeyukeba ii     toketeshimaitai     hayaku     kokoro ni furete
mix it together     coldly warmly     this song     let it reach you
gather up     the glittering landscapes     the sky     changes to BLUE
thin it out     i want to melt it all     quickly     let my heart touch you

ima wa     yoru wa     kagayaite motomete
left in my heart     into the timeless time
now is     night is     glittering, want it
left in my heart     into the timeless time

aketeyuku kitto     tsuzuku jounetsu o     konna yoru wa mitsumesasete
it opens, surely     the continuing passion     nights like this let you see it

ima wa     yoru wa     kagayaite egaite
left in my heart     into the timeless time
now is     night is     glittering, paint it
left in my heart     into the timeless time

aketeyuku sotto     yoru yo kienai de     kirameku keshiki o     yurameku asu e
mazariaeba ii     tsumetaku atatakaku     uta yo     anata ni     anata ni hibike
it empties, softly     the night, don’t vanish     into tomorrow’s     flickering, glittering landscapes
mix it together     coldly warmly     this song     to you     it calls out to you

Right now I’m very much obsessed with this song. I think between being semi-depressed, the soft melody, Ryuichi Kawamura’s sexy voice, and the lyrics, this song is really very much speaking to me right now.

I wish I had something more profound to say, but right now I’m very tired, but thought I’d share my current mood and feelings.

In effort to procrastinate (because procrastination requires effort?) update my site in preparation to do more blogging, I have decided to forego the splash page and try to make the site a little bit more congruent. My portfolio still exists, though I am a bit antsy to update the look on it. Not by a lot… but I’m not digging the front page anymore.

You might have noticed a few changes, such as the nagivation change that can be found both at the top of the page and on the menu bar. I’ve also added my twitter to the menu bar, moved some things around. Hopefully over the next few days I’ll be updating the “links” and “about” page. In the next month or so, I hope to do whatever rearranging on my portfolio to make it look a bit more sharp. I just haven’t quite figured that out what to do with it yet.

I’m still anxiously waiting my Certificate of Eligibility from the Ministry of Education in Japan. In the meantime I’m suffering through my Japanese language class in addition to a Japanese politics class. Extra studying of the language hasn’t really found its way into my life. I want to! For serious! I just get super distracted very easily with things like… updating my website. Heh!

Once that certificate comes in the mail, expect many more blog posts, as I plan on documenting all pre-Japan departure arrangements and the like.

I’m usually not one to post lyrics. If I want to show something I’m feeling poetically, I write it myself. But this song came up on shuffle on my iPod, and I was reminded of how much I truly love it. The song is “What is Love?” by L’arc-en-Ciel. This is the English translation (source):

There’s just something about Japanese lyrics and music that just can’t be done in English. Maybe I’m biased, and I probably am. But the music, his voice, and the way it’s sung and put together as a whole just makes the song so much. I especially love the last minute or so.

Happy Holidays, everyone! Merry [insert religious holiday here]! I hope everyone is having a great winter break, even if you’re stranded in your house by the abundance of snow like I am.

For X-mas, I received “My Japanese Coach” for DS. I have to say, I’m enjoying it quite a bit, even if it has some quirks to it – like teaching the wrong stroke order for certain characters. But that’s what Kakitorikun is for. Mostly I’m using this new program to learn vocabulary and some grammar things. I’m still stuck in the beginning of things, rated as “1st grade.” But it’s good to review some things. ^-^

I really need to get on the ball of studying more!

Anyway, hope everyone has a wonderful New Year, full of drunkenness and hopefully not hangovers on the 1st.