International Budo University

[NorthernKendoka]

Last week i recived a letter from IBU saying i had been accepted. I also were told my miltary service will end two weeks in advance. So now all obsctales are out of my way and I'm going to be a student there from april next year. Don't know if I'm supposed to be happy or scared shitless, maybe both. I know some of you out there have studied at IBU and I would be greatful for any information you can give me. For example what can I expect from the education, how are the accomdations, do you have internet accecs and so on.

[Andoru]

Congrats! Why are you nervous? Many of us would want to be in your position! You are one lucky bugger mate. I wish I could go. T_T

[Anime12478]

Just be yourself. That is the only advice that I can give you. Congratulations on getting accepted though!

[hamish]

Forget the education, go for the training, that is what sets IBU apart. If you have a laptop, you'll be able to login to a local server (you'll need to pay for it) The other option is to try and use a school PC (They were practically hidden from the students when I was there in 99) or try and bum the use of one of the International Office PCs, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you're desperate.

As I and some others have written in articles in the magazine, IBU will do very little to help you, and actually may get in the way of your training/study.

Its very hard to make friends with any of the Japanese students, but put in enough effort and you will be well rewarded. Its very easy to only make friends with the other foreign students. Given the abysmal level of the Japanese language instruction, unless you study a lot and make Japanese friends, you may well leave speaking better Spanish or Korean by the time you leave than Japanese!!

I won't go on, as I've said the same stuff in older posts, so please do a search for IBU and read through that lot first.

Good luck!

Hamish

[kendokamax]

actually for the internet you can bring a laptop and buy one receptor that will make you able to use the Internet in the Hall. There is also 2 laptop computer that the international bought for only the foreign student use. They are usualy full of bug but at least they work ok.

There is also a computer room in the university but there is only 8 computer that people can actually use.

to make japanese friend in the kendo club is very very tough at the begining! but it is possible ! you have to go to them , they wont come to you.

[JSchmidt]

Out of curiosity, how old was the oldest 'student'?

Jakob

[kendokamax]

Out of curiosity, how old was the oldest 'student'?

Jakob

my good friend Stefan, from holland, was 31 years old

[deathbykendo]

I attended the uni in 1999 so what I've got to say may be a little dated, but from what I've heard from more recent students maybe it's not. To give you a little back ground on myself, a had limited Japanese language skills, had been practicing kendo consistently for about 6 year and was quite fit.

I was amazed at the level of Kendo and the shear amount of people practicing together. The club boasted over 250 members, with on average over 150 attending each practice. It's a great feeling being part of something so large and giving all you can to a training.

The sensei are excellent and very friendly but they won't be able to spend a lot of one on one time with you; your best teacher will be your eyes, watch how the students and sensei play each other, then try and copy them.

During jigeko you will find that the 1st and 2nd years will want to practice with the 4th years, which results in all the 4th years having very long lines waiting to play them. The sensei, well everyone wants to play them, you will be lucky if you play them more than a few time during the whole year. Your best bet is to practice with the 3rd years, you can easily distinguish them from the rest because they have the university’s name on their tare coloured red. White = 4th year, green = 1st year, yellow = 2nd and the foreign students well our colour is the coolest of them all ;) It’s got to be seen to be believed!

I didn’t bring any of my crappy shinai’s with me from Australia, I bought about 10, of the cheapest one at the local bogu shop without the leathers they were about $12 USD each.
The key is to buy the same brand each time, that way when you need to replace a broken slat you don’t have any problem matching it’s shape.

They had internet access in the computer room when I was there, the accommodation is excellent (if you get a good room mate) just a hop skip and a jump away from the dojo. If I open the door to my room I could actually see if kendo practice was taking place.

Wow doesn’t this place sound great! Well here is the catch.

The Japanese program sucks, the main female teacher has a good heart but not much ability. There is a lot of friction between the foreign students and the international staff who treat them like children.

This year at least 4 students have left the university before the program finished because they couldn’t stand the way they were treated by the international office.

I’ve recommended the course to 2 friends from Australia, both of whom had very negative experiences.

One of them left this year here is a quote from the email they sent me after they left;

“You know, it wasn’t that hard leaving IBU. I was treated like a 10 yrs old as Bunasawa Sensei wanted to talk to my father instead of me. I think you understand what I am saying. We Bekkasei felt like we were in a kindegarden or like cattle.....hehe. It is even funny to remember.”

Well that’s the good the bad and the ugly about IBU.

Feel free to ask any more specific questions, but I am sure we should be able to generate some good discussion here.

Kirby

[deathbykendo]

Out of curiosity, how old was the oldest 'student'?

Jakob

We had a New Zealander in our year who was pretty old :)

I also know of an American who must of been in this late 30's

Kirby

[kendokamax]

actually the color arent fixed for the years like that. they get a color when they are first year and they will keep the same color the whole time until they become 4th year student (then they use white)

but next year the color will be the same as deathbykendo described

by the way I heard Ijima sensei got hachidan?

[Andoru]

by the way I heard Ijima sensei got hachidan?
Yup. Ijima Akira sensei got his hachidan in the recent shinsa.

[JSchmidt]

Heh..I like the fact that they still dont have an English version of their website :)

Jakob

[Danny Boy]

Im at Budai right now, sitting in the common room, checking out my mail.

Congratulations to getting accepted, although you might seem to regret it in the future.
I will get straight to the point : It is not that special place. It is not what you expect. You will be treated like a 10 year old kid. You will see corruption, stupidity, egoism, paranoia, racism, mild cases of scisophrenia (multiple personallity syndrome, all past Bekka know whom i am talking about.....certain japanese teacher ;) ).
You will have good times here (depending if the other bekka are good guys,
or 18 yo idiots). Now depending on how hard you want it your kendo will improve. The facilities here are amazing. Running track, relatively well stocked gym. Possibility to do kendo every day with great senseis.

Now problems so far : International Office is not going to help you in any way. As a matter of fact, you will not be able to make compromises with them in any way. Need to fax something home ? forget it, go to Daily Yamazaki and pay for it yerself. Need to go to hospital with a broken leg and want a lift ? Get a taxi you bum. Need a time out because you have to go to rehab ? Do it tomorrow. And so on.
Students might not want to talk to you, depending on how much you like socialising and what kind of personality you have (also depends on the brown-nosing factor. If you do enough of that, you will have friends _aaaaall over the place_).
for Kendo bekka, there is nothing else here apart from the kendo club and good opponents.
On that topic. The practise will not be killing you.At start there will be a 2-3 hours keiko, you will be able to do 4-5 short fights (that goes back to popularity. I didnt do any brown-nosing or ass-kissing and thats how it was for me at the start. Once you get to do shiai in the class, things might change for you. Decking the year capnt helped wiw that for me hehe ;) )
Only tiring part is the oikomi, hayasuburis, and if Iwakiri sensei is in charge, rotation kirikaeshi for 20 minutes, and to finish off, some kakarigeigko.
That is my biggest bone wiw the practise. In scotland i could have done 2 hour club practise, and be dying at the end, or if not, at least sweating a gallon of. Here its more like fcuking about. The atmosphere at the club here is totally not serious. There is little spirit in the whole place (and its epitomised in the club practisies).

Thinking back, i reckon that i could have spent the money i did for geting in and living for 8 months, and go to Tokaidai or some other good university and just live there, do serious kendo practise with people who love it and enjoy doing it for the sake of doing it, not for uni credits or some such.

There is many more points. But......you'll come here and see what its like for yourself. I just hope that you take the right lessons out of this place and train hard.

Dan

P.S.

To ppl that havent been here, dont talk about what you think its gonna be like. Its not like your standard 2 week cruise visit to friend sensei's dojo. Its a year of bull-shit and sweat and nerves which you start with little or no connections. (and connections really help in this place).

[Danny Boy]

Wow,

My post above seem like a maniacal rave. Hope i havent scared you away....

[kendokamax]

take it easy man its not that bad, well at least its a good life experience

[deathbykendo]

Im at Budai right now, sitting in the common room, checking out my mail.

Congratulations to getting accepted, although you might seem to regret it in the future.
I will get straight to the point : It is not that special place. It is not what you expect. You will be treated like a 10 year old kid. You will see corruption, stupidity, egoism, paranoia, racism, mild cases of scisophrenia (multiple
Dan



I've heard the IBU staff have been getting worse and worse as the years have progressed.

Too bad....

Kirby

[mkomoto]

It is like many of us have said after leaving That Place:

Once you get to telling about it, you sound like a raving lunatic, because no one (who has not been there) can believe that it is that bad.

The reason behind all this is, even though the kendo teachers and program are quite good, the rest of the academic portion, and the management of foreign student affairs are staffed by imcompetent people, with serious spiritual and moral problems. After the passing of the great Dr. Matsumae who founded the program, the international spirit of the school perished also. The so-called international office became the s**t-hole of the school, reserved for only the worst, most troubled, and incompetent staff and the outcasts of the faculty.

All I can advise is keep a low profile, keep quiet about your activities and whereabouts, keep your schedule to yourself. You'll only believe it once you're there, but a couple of people in the so-called international office will actually go out of their way to make trouble for you when there is really no problem.

Rely and confide in the kendo teachers. However, remember, that they are in the bureaucracy, and even if they know you're being treated bad, there's not much they can do.

As I tell all the students: minimize the bad stuff, and maximize on the good stuff. Train, discipline yourself to keep clear of the tangled messes, even though it is lonely being in a foreign land when you are very vulnerable to the 'enviromental' factors, the people around you, and the many times screwed up and unethical treatment that may be directed at you.

Don't show it, ('cause it'll drive them insane and cause them to hurl themselves at you,) but don't pay attention to their hollow threats and huge pantomime of being important or powerful. Do your training, study Japanese ON YOUR OWN or suffer at the mis-guided and often eroneous instruction you'll receive in the classrooms there.

Take advantage of the good that can be had by living in Japan for a year, but don't expect to gain if from that place, except for the kendou-jou.

Be sure to get out and find practices in the local area, and go to Tokyo and elsewhere as you can. It is important to see the broad rainbow spectrum of kendo experience that exists in Japan. But don't expect anyone there to introduce you, or help you get introductions, directions, or help.

Also, it is costly to travel in Japan, a round trip to Tokyo on the limited express (1.5 hours one-way) cost about US$ 60. You'll have to count your pennies and live frugally in order to keep your war-chest for de-geiko and replenishing your shinai. Want to have fun and screw around a little, and the year will disappear before you realize it. Many have left the program without little or no improvement.

This year, 4 students quit and returned to their home countries because of the meaningless bad treatment leveled at them, for no reason at all. What a shame.

By the way, the oldest entrant to that program, as far as I know, was my class-mate Mr. Tan, at 41.

You can make a great experience out of it, if you are stong, and directed.

Good luck,

M

[Alex]

I am sorry to say that this is all true. Do not doubt a word of it. I even stopped my little brother from attending the university and set him up in Kyoto instead. I was afraid he might grow to hate kendo (or Japan) by going there.

I have been asked to do a speech in front of a special school run by Tokai University (mother school to IBU) in March. I believe that the President of Tokai University will also be present, and I have been asked to inform him of the real situation at IBU concerning the exchange students and Bekka system. I dread it, but I feel so sorry for the poor people who sacrifice so much to follow a dream and go there, so I will tell him pretty much what has been relayed here. He wants to know...Some actually enjoy the experience, but they are in the extreme minority.

And yes, I do spend a lot of time at the IBU. I was a student there in 1989, and am now also a lecturer (each August) for the post-graduate students. Apart from that I am there about 5 or 6 times a year for research or training.

[Gonzo Nakayui]

Hoohoohoo this is Gonzooo!!! Merry X-mas to all the current bekkasei (even the Koreans) and all bekka-old boys and girls(especially from Finland) who survived the program in the years before! (does this test run actually work??) Anywayz, sochu and Asahi gambatte, don't forget to wear those little raincoats, cause kids cost a lot of money and for kangeiko I say: Wake up at 4 am, kick ass and Banzai!!! more worldly advise may follow soon

[Jonesey]

Hi everybody. I just thought I would chime in on my IBU experience. I was there in 1998 (wow, that seems like a LONG time ago now). My situation at the school was somewhat different than others because I was not officially a bekkasei. My University HAD an exchange student program with IBU (which has since been cancelled).

So, here's what I think from an exchange student's perspective. I want to make it clear that I did not go to IBU for just kendo practice, but to learn Japanese language and culture as well. This put me in a very interesting situation. My classes were one-on-one with most professors, which was a very positive experience. I also had a different Japanese language class than the bekkasei, which I am thankful for (i heard pleanty about bekkasei language instructor from the bekkasei, and from the thread, I'm assuming that person is still in charge...ugh). BUT, most of my language studies came from making friends and using Japanese with them. Since I was not in kendo practice 11 times a week, my friends did not come from the kendo club, but from a group of physical therapists, some slackers on the soccer team, and one of the teachers who often had me to his place in Tokyo. The therapists took me in, gave me a job(!), and I am still friends with many of them today.

What you have heard of the administration is absolutely correct. One person in the international office (who I believe has been put in a different position) tried to completely screw me over. Luckily at the time, there were a couple of good people in the office there to help me out (I remember a particular meeting with the head of the international office where another member of his staff gave me some hillarious translations while we were talking...you know who you are!).

SO, my advice is this: If you don't speak Japanese or are still a beginner, don't be ashamed to approach people and MAKE FRIENDS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. Use what Japanese you know, and make the most of it. Many students at IBU are eager to be friends with foreign students but are too shy to just come up and start a conversation with them. Having Japanese friends is key to having a good experience at IBU...I (*vaguely*) remember some great parties in the dorms with tons of IBU students which were a blast.

The key to success at IBU is being proactive and doing things for yourself. Don't expect help from the administration, and don't expect great classes (especially the bekkasei classes). Get out of Katsuura as much as possible to see Japan, make friends, and make the best of the experience.

Just some random thoughts...I hope they help someone!

Jonesey

[Louis X]

Studying Kendo in Japan sounded good to me...until I read this post :/

It can be good if you're carefull.

[Gonzo Nakayui]

The best thing about the bekkasei program is that if you learn to deal with it, everything else in Japan is a piece of cake! I loved Japan before being a bekkasei and the IBU experience didn't change a thing. I am finally studying Japanese and am planning to go back for more. Budai has many good things to offer and once you have learned a few words of Japanese, make some jokes while you are in line for jigeiko and start drinking with the kendobu you'll have a lot of fun; it's only the chief clerk of the int. off. and the language teacher that really suck. Avoid them at all times. Don't answer your room phones, don't answer voice-mails, skip kuro-class as much as you possible and if you really have to go to class, because they ordered you to go home, bring manga's, donuts and lot of coffee, but don't hurry, just walk in thirty minutes late and you'll still get a plus for showing up, don't use the kitchen if you want to live, the best diner deal is at Tomato, use the sliding doors in the meeting room as your main entrance and the o-furo windows for back up, if things turn bad. The office ladies are basically ok and are willing to help as long as the boss isn't there. If you polish your technique and get your timing right, you will score ippon. I was a 2003/2004 bekkasei, they did fax for me, helped me fix mobile phone troubles, helped me planning cross country bus rides, gave me rides to the post office when I had big boxes to ship, drove me to Onjuku and Kamogawa and even bought me diner a couple of times! There are many better choices for a real University in Japan, but while you are there don't despair, always gambatte, don't let that bastard track you down and run you over, everything is possible, even at IBU!

[kendokamax]

I have a friend (he is korean-canadian and speaks perfect japanese) at Tokyo University and at the beginning he thought the kendo club was great but after a while he found out than a lot of the studends were idiots with a lot of ego . They would always try to avoid him for jigeiko and such..! Come on!! It's freakin TODAI kendo club they SUCK at kendo, they are supose to be more a recreation club!

My point is:
It's up to you to make it a good experience wheever you go! There will always be sh*t anywhere you go.

Oh and one more thing to the International office you should always say the Truth! They can't handle it!! If you try to lie on things, it will make things more complicated! If they say 'YOU CANT DO THAT' you can do it !

Example: If you see retarted-fujita watching porn-magazine at 7eleven at 4 am (curfew is at 11pm) Say hello and laugh at him!

[Danny Boy]

Thats all good words of advice. Me and a couple of guys down here came to the same conclusion (took us around 5-6 months of major "WTF am i doing here, WTF is going on", but we got there).

Think about it this way, i came half way around the world, left my gf, university course, friends and family to be treated like shit ?

Of course im not gonna allow anyone to do that to me, so im fighting it, im emotional about it etc.

One more thing that keeps bugging me, is how the dojo is so high on the "image" thing. They dont care if you practise 1 keiko or 10. As long as you:re there every-day you`ll be respected. Its totally against what i know kendo and budo should be about (no bullshit, i call it as it is, no keeping up appearances, if i dont like something/someone, i dont go around they`re back, i`ll tell em to their face etc).




One good thing this year is that theres not many idiots in the course ( ;) you know who you were hehe :P ) and we are managing to fight back with the office establishment. As a matter of fact, we had a good meeting yesterday with the person in charge of int office, and maybe, just maybe, things might begin to get changed for better.

Gambatte Imasu,

Dan

[kendokamax]

Thats all good words of advice. Me and a couple of guys down here came to the same conclusion (took us around 5-6 months of major "WTF am i doing here, WTF is going on", but we got there).


'**** off desu' is a very usefull expression to learn.....

one last advice.....be carefull where you are pissing.....

by the way Gonzo Nakayui!! when are you going to publish your crazy stories???

[Alex]

oi oi oi! Who the hell are you to say that about the Tokyo Uni kendo club??? Have you trained there? I have, and I'll tell you now, they are not a freaking Social Club!! :devious: I had about 15 of them lining up to try and train with me!

[mkomoto]

I must ad to that: I have trained with the Todai kendo bu before and they enthusiastically lined up 10 and 15 deep to practice with me.

Contrast that with another place where even as a guest, the students cut in front of you while you're waiting in line, avoiding direct eye contact and feigning as if they didn't notice you were standing there.

Granted, they are not full time kendo-specialty students, but I have found the Todai boys to be nice, well-mannered, and earnest. Their teachers and many OB who attend practice are an admirable group of gentle people.

Perhaps your friend had a bad experience with the unavoidable minority of the malcontented.

M

[Gonzo Nakayui]

Hosu kendokamax,
The rest of my stories are not translated into English yet, I did write a new thing called "men-o-tsuke" for the Dutch kendo quarterly, unfortunately for the moment I only have that in Dutch too, but I do have something for you, the recent developments on this forum made me jump behind my laptop after practice last night and I didn't stop jabbering away at my keyboard for about fifteen mugs of hot black coffee, three boxes of cookies, a chocolote bar, a glass of umeshu and four pages of text, I think I have got a rough version of Shin GoRinNoSho, "The Bekkasei Manual; Tips on Surviving Katsuura for New Comers", this years bekkasei probably already turned themselves into men-of-the-world and found out most by themselves, but not everybody should have to go through that terrible ordeal of trial and error, not all of you have to waste time by inventing their own wheels, surprise is everything, you must lead to win and information is your most valuable asset, I hope it will be helpfull for the next samurai wannabe's and many generations to come, my pilot version should be seen as a start to which every new band of bekka's should add their own unique experiences, add better negotiation styles, creative solutions to common problems, dirty tricks, ugly strategies, shady schemes and special undercover tactics, I have to make some adjustments here and there and then I will throw the different subjects on this forum one by one, later on it should be published on paper, but for now this is the only way to go, it might be fun for ob's and og's too, power to the bekkasei, may the koryokaikan prosper and let the bad guys perish; I wrote it on the back of my skateboard and showed it to Fujita many times: "Good gaijin desu - **** off desu!"

[NorthernKendoka]

Thank for all the replies guys. Haven't been able to in a while answer since my battalion has been out in the woods for a week. I'll just have to deal with it I guess. Much you've said somehow reminds me of the millitary so maybe I'll feel at home. Thanks for pointing out that having connections counts, I'll have to squeez all I can out of the two I have.

[NorthernKendoka]

Gonzo could you send me a copy of your Shin GoRiNoSho when it's done. I'm sure it would help me a lot, especially combined with book a on guerilla warfare.

[kendokamax]

oi oi oi! Who the hell are you to say that about the Tokyo Uni kendo club??? Have you trained there? I have, and I'll tell you now, they are not a freaking Social Club!! :devious: I had about 15 of them lining up to try and train with me!

I did train there, they were nice to me (especialy last year captain hashimoto), but I didnt have to train over there everyday like my friend did. Actually they bothered me once when I was changing up downstair and they ask one of the junior to watch over me so I dont steal anything....I was like 'what the hell am I back in america?'.

Plus you guys are older and good at kendo, they will line up for you for sure.

[kendokamax]

Perhaps your friend had a bad experience with the unavoidable minority of the malcontented.

M

I think so too, but he still had a bad experience to stop training there even thought kobayashi sensei would come every wenesday and everyone that met him knows how nice that person is.

[Vikingkendo]

Ahhhh, nothing is as good as the writing about the conditions at Budai, early in the morning, when you still dribble of sweat from the nightmare of the international office, where the staff look like the 3 stoodges, and Buna boy himself try to act like Japans chef negotiator, solving "his Worlds" problems, with grace and high negotiation skils!! NOOOOOOOT!!!!!!!

watch out for the return of the urusai gaijins, Bunna Boy!! : :devious:

[tyler]

Nakayui of the Gonzo school - I'm also headed to budai, i'd be interested in reading your work. Will you send what you've got so far?

[hamish]

As a matter of fact, we had a good meeting yesterday with the person in charge of int office, and maybe, just maybe, things might begin to get changed for better.

The last bekkasei to say that was never heard from again!!!

[Kingofmyrrh]

There's a crew od todai students that head down to keishicho every morning for supplementary training - hardly what I'd call a recreation club.
In addition, while they may not be the strongest as students, there seem to be a lot of people from national unis that continue to practice even after graduation, which isn't all that common. In addition, a lot of the members of METI kendo club, which has done a lot in helping international kendo, for example pulling the strings to make the last Paris Taikai a success, are from Todai, so we shouldn't bash them too much. Although to be fair, I can see how this isn't actually of much use to someone training there right now...

[kendokamax]

I dont know but for me recreational = non-professional

which means that your success in tournaments will have no effect on your career

[Gonzo Nakayui]

Todai ichiban! Let's not bash Todai, we need something to believe in; they are 'officially' Japans best University, I had a fine practice in their dojo once (thanks to Kendokamax!!), their students English was good, they asked intelligent questions, and, most importantly, their shokudo was sooo much better than the one at IBU, they have real gourmet cooking at Todai! By the way, can somebody please send me a new Todai tenegui? My friend Johan the Postman washed his in bleach and now it is all white, all kanjis are gone.

[[Kensei 剣の聖者]]

Is it really that bad? And also where can i get English information on it since its site does not have an english version (So much for an "international" university)

[ISSAC RU]

how much does it cost every year ?
( tution..living cost everything)

[kendokamax]

how much does it cost every year ?
( tution..living cost everything)

look out on the forum that question was asked a few times already..

[ISSAC RU]

too lazy to look up...just tell me approximatly how much>?

[kendokamax]

if you really are interested take a look...

I would say cheapest 12000$....goes up

[Gonzo Nakayui]

Lazy people should not go to Japan. In Japan you always have to fight harder and harder and more and more, always do your best to get better at whatever you do, because you are never good enough. Japan's motto is: "Gambatte, gambatte, always gambatte!" If you are even too lazy to look something up from behind your computer, forget about Japan. When we say: "Why should we run?", the Japanese say: "Why shouldn't we run?"

[[Kensei 剣の聖者]]

so where can i get english info about going 2 this place............................................. .................................................. ....................................

[ISSAC RU]

$12000 bucks a year...thats alot of money...

after u graduated ......do they give me some kind of high paying job or just
after u finish ..then u finsih?

Gonzo Nakayui:

....sign*....i think i know a little bit better about japan than u do ok?
having 60 years war with them..i think we already look totally thru
what kind of ppl they are.

[mingshi]

....sign*....i think i know a little bit better about japan than u do ok?
having 60 years war with them..i think we already look totally thru
what kind of ppl they are.
Yeah right. Especially you are the one practising kendo?

[kendokamax]

Gonzo Nakayui:

....sign*....i think i know a little bit better about japan than u do ok?
having 60 years war with them..i think we already look totally thru
what kind of ppl they are.

he lived there you didnt...
don't start a flame war please..

[Gonzo Nakayui]

Issuck ru:
" i think i know a little bit better about japan than u do ok?
having 60 years war with them..i think we already look totally thru
what kind of ppl they are."

You know shit, you are not even out of high school. Go to your room and do your home work!

[Louis X]

"Go to your room and do your home work!"

LOL ! Or is he too lazy for that as well ?

[litige]

$12000 bucks a year...thats alot of money...

after u graduated ......do they give me some kind of high paying job or just
after u finish ..then u finsih?

Gonzo Nakayui:

....sign*....i think i know a little bit better about japan than u do ok?
having 60 years war with them..i think we already look totally thru
what kind of ppl they are.

1. 12000$ a year is nothing, because that's about what you cost to your parents every year. So for them, sending you there wouldn't be so much of a problem.

2. Don't make stupid comments like this.

[Danny Boy]

Wow, just reading over old topics and found this......natsukashii yo !