Riverside 46

Class got cancelled today because the tutor was sick...so I`m here now, in the computer labs, bored and with nothing to do...so I thought I`d talk a little bit about the apartment block that I`m currently living in - Riverside 46.

First impressions of the place - what a shit hole. And I`m paying ￥30,000/month for this?? (that equates to about $350/month). The whole apartment is about the size of my bedroom at home. It really is small and probably not very fire safe either. Hopefully no fires will break out in the complex (*knock wood x 3*). Speaking of fire dangers at Riverside - I was probably seconds away from blowing myself along with half of the building up the other week. How you ask??

Well, one day I walk out of apartment to go do the laundry. I walk into the laundry room to find that the floor was completely covered by 1/2 cm of liquid...and a heavy smell of petrol in the air. I walk in, put my laundry basket on the table, and go to put my clothes into the washing machine...when I kinda thought...hang on...with this heavy smell of petrol...its probably not a good idea to start the washing machine...so I left...only to find out later on that the liquid on the floor was kerosene and that the gas heater in the room had been leaking it all day!! If I had decided to start up the washing machine, the whole building would`ve probably blown up!! Along with me in it!! Such is the safety of our apartments.

But its not all bad though. Although I was really disappointed in the shit hole that I got stuck with, I have grown quite use to it - its actually kinda cosy really...despite the fact that I`m sleeping on the floor...due to the fact that my bed is one of those uncomfortable as hell fold out beds that has a bar that digs into your back if you try to sleep on it!! But I digress...Riverside is actually not that bad - mainly because we don`t have a landlord on the premises most of the time. He only comes in twice a week for like 3hrs to collect rent and maybe check up on things...but other than that, we can have drinking parties till the wee hours of the morning, be as loud as we want, and nobody will complain...because the Japanese don`t really like to complain. Hence there are parties/get-togethers at Riverside once, twice...maybe more every week if we feel like it...we get drunk...we get loud...and nobody is there to tell us off!! And nobody complains. You take the good with the bad I suppose. But I tell you...our neighbours must hate us by now...

Non-Drunk Photos

And just to show that I`m not drunk/drinking 24/7 whilst I`m here...below are photos of me and friends at 大通り park and at 円山park last Saturday...where we went to see the cherry blossoms and caught a glimspe of a Shinto wedding ceremony...

西岡 Leisureland

I thought I`d make this post about something other than me getting drunk...I mean after all, I`m over here on exchange and I`m meant to be studying right?? on that note, let me tell you a little bit about Sapporo University or 札大. This place is also known as "西岡 Leisureland"...西岡 being the district that I live in and also where the uni is.

Let's just say, this uni doesn`t exactly have the best reputation academically. In fact...i think it's the uni that students who don't want to go to uni go to. It`s kinda known as the uni for the drop kicks. I`ve been told by people on two seperate occasions that the students here aren`t exactly the brightest of the bunch. It`s a party uni...if you tell people that you study at 札大 they won`t take you very seriously...which for me is a great thing...because the people that I meet/have met here...all they want to do is go out and drink...or go to someone`s house and drink.

I guess this post ended up being about drinking again...but what can I say?? It really is part of the culture here. Back in Sydney I`d be what...drinking maybe 3 - 4 times a month - max. Here its 3 - 4 times a week - minimum!! I`m doing a hell of a lot more drinking than studying...but the way I see it...drinking is part of my studying...afterall...i end up speaking a lot more Japanese when drunk than when I`m sober...

Golden Week = Susukino Week

Golden Week in Sapporo, what can I say...it wasn`t much different from the way things normally were here. I suppose all the festivals and interesting stuff happens in smaller towns and stuff...or maybe it`s just Sapporo that doesn`t really do anything for Golden Week. Still, it was nice to have the week off which basically meant going into Susukino almost every night and getting absolutely wasted. Almost forgot that I`ve got an assignment due pretty soon...soon as in 2 days time...and I haven`t even started yet...

Still Golden Week was fun...I mean going out and getting drunk is always fun...and this time I didn`t throw up...maybe my tolerance for alcohol has increased slightly since I got here...however I have discovered my new favorite cocktail...Kamikaze!!...almost all the Izakaya (restaurant/bars with all you can drink) have it and its a pretty strong drink...especially if they mix it with just pure spirits without the lime chaser...as they did a few times for us...yeah...they must really like us...anyways below are some photos from last week...



On the top is us and two of our Japanese friends from Uni (and me relatively drunk) on Wed night at an Izakaya...on the bottom is us at Acid Room afterwards...a club...



Above is us and another group of Japanese friends from uni...on Thurs at another Izakaya...for the picture at the bottom...we told the Japanese that it was a western tradition to flip off a friend when taking photos...classy...