Home sweet home – and some sweet university as well

I have been trying to put pictures of my humble (very humble) home for the past 4 months. Finally here. The housing agency told my room is the size of 6 tatami mats, but I have started to doubt their ability to count. Im very sure you could lay a few more tatamis here. The one thing I really love is my Japanese style chair, that thing was cheap, but just coolest thing you can sit on. The futon is folded up – something I do only when having guest over – or taking pictures of my room.

Marjukka and Pauliina, thanks for the cards. The black and white-one still on my table. And folks back home, thanks (again) for the Christmas-candy, some still left, stashed in that red Marimekko box.

Home.

Thanks to the frequent requests of my friend from Espoo, my bathroom. Timo, this one is for You.. I will tell the story of that shower sponge someday! haha..

The east-wing of my home.

This picture is from my campus. On the left side you can see the second home I have – the library. I just love the place. Not only because of the company, the place is suited for some serious reading and not so serious leisure: the library has its own multimedia facilities, where you can watch even brand new Hollywood films with your friends. Las t week I saw a french film about a guy going to Erasmus-exchange. Great timing, since many of my Japanese friends have just found out they get to go abroad.. (and Mai to France, way to go! ne!)

Kansai Gaidai, main campus

A better photo of the library:

Das Library

All of our classes are held here, in CIE. The first floor has a comfortable lounge for hanging out and making new friends. Im sure that the lounge has been a lifeline for many exchange students.

Center of International Education

Once you enter the campus, walk past the relatively newly built western style buildings, on the spotless tiles of the campus (cleaned every week by the most hard working staff I have ever seen cleaning an university for a living) and go past the main administrative building (the tall one in the middle in the first picture) you end up to the main cafeteria, serving traditional, though modern Japanese cuisine. When you, one of the many visitors here, are about to enter for your well earned lunch, you might take a random look over your left elbow and what do your eyes fixate on, before your jaw drops down on amusement or disbelief..

..the campus McDonalds! Way to go KG.. what a disgrace. I’ve eaten once in there, tastes just as bad as every one not addicted to grease knows. The Japanese kids – and Henrik, the German guy who’s stomach requests for a hamburger or four a few times a week – just love that shit. The life expectancy of people in Okinawa has been the highest in the world for a long time, but recently, thanks to the oh so wise American military who brought (among other not so positive things) all the fast food restaurants with them, the expectancy of the Okinawans’ has plummeted. The same is happening around other parts of Japan. I will have to write more about the local food and the controversy of the Japanese health someday, but this is not the right time for that, because I dont bother to.

On top of the McD. on the 2nd floor we have a combini (food as stuff) and 3rd floor a bookstore (books and stuff). Convinient.

Campus McDonalds

As a desert, some national pride. Among the many flags, you might want to count ..wait, 1,2,3.. 4 (!) flags from the right.. the blue and white of Finland. I have to say, this day was perfect for photography. Actually, it was a normal day here.. To all people in Finland, きをつけてね.

Multimedia hall and the flag of Finland, among many others