Two weekends in NYC

origamiunicorn ♦ April 6, 2016 ♦ Leave a comment

I registered for a 20 hour Japanese Intensive Conversation class at the Japan Society in NYC.  I took the C&J bus to Port Authority on the Friday before the first session.  My cousin Elisa, who was out of town, was kind enough to let me stay at her apartment right near the Canal St subway station.  A 5 hour bus ride and short subway ride later I arrived.  I sought out the highly touted Black Tap Burger establishment for a quick bite to eat, only to find there was a line down the block and a 3 hour wait!  Fortunately they were quick to process to-go orders.

Saturday morning I took the subway back uptown for class.

I wish I had taken pictures of the Japan Society building.  There is a pool and waterfall in the lobby.  I didn’t get much of a chance to explore any of the exhibits.  The Toyota Language Institute was down in the basement.  I was pleasantly surprised to discover the class was going to be taught by Miyashita Sensei, instructor on the Japanese YouTube series: Miyashita Sensei Language Classes.

The class was a diverse mix of students. Ages ranged from about 14-64.  There were employees of Japanese based companies, travelers preparing for future trips to Japan and friends and family of Japanese speakers looking to enhance communication.  I talked to one fellow student who was preparing for his second trip to Japan for a belt promotion in Iaido.  I have been interested in Japan for many years, driven by my enjoyment of Japanese art & literature, origami, cuisine, and martial arts (Kenpo Karate and, more recently, Jiu Jitsu).

The curriculum for the Level 1 class is the first three chapters of the Genki textbook.  This includes basic vocabulary, simple verb parsing, asking questions, introduction to particles (ni, de, wa, o and ga), are/kare/sare, ano/kono/sono, etiquette, counting, prices, telling time, days of the week and relative time (yesterday, today, etc).  We also covered the Hiragana alphabet which I had already memorized prior to the class.  That said, taking time to learn the stroke order and technique was a refreshing break from the language drills.  The classes were intense and rigorous.  Miyashita Sensei is charismatic and engaging.  For example, when we did exercises emphasizing fluency she would have us all stand and take turns reciting a phrase.  When you pronounced it correctly and smoothly enough to meet her high standards, you were allowed to sit down.

We were given a 1 hour lunch break each session.  Miyashita Sensei recommended a Japanese market up the street where we could get a takeout lunch.  The photo below is fried vegetable cakes, wildweed salad and strawberry mochi.

I had my first experience with a Japanese-style toilet at the Japan Society: heated toilet seat plus a multitude of bidet settings.  If I had one of these at home.. well.. I’ll leave it at that.  I know this whole discussion is TMI, but it was memorable so it’s staying on the blog!

After my first class on Saturday I met my Aunt Carole and cousin Jessica for Udon noodles at a restaurant nearby.  When I got back to Soho I went on a hunt for mochi ice cream. Eventually I found some and went back to the apartment to study and snack.  The little bag there was an assortment of sesame, green tea, vanilla and strawberry mochi ice cream treats.  The sesame was so strange and delicious – a bit like how I would imagine Halva ice cream would taste.

The second weekend I drove instead of taking the bus.  After an excellent striking/grappling class on Friday night I drove to Hartford and spent the night at a hotel.  The next morning I drove into the city just in time for class.  I was happy to see my sensei and fellow students. After class I met 3 of my cousins, Elisa, Jessica and Hannah, and my Aunt Carole.  Dinner at Emilio’s Ballato in Little Italy, then out for a few drinks.

Sunday was my last day of class.  I made a few new friends and learned more than I ever could have on my own.  I am looking forward to continuing to learn and perhaps taking one more weekend class before my trip.  I will especially miss Miyashita Sensei but I still have a bunch of her videos to catch up on.

ちあようなら!