Yataimura!

Sunday night, end of a long week and getting ready for another one (no time to rest! pah- I'm in Japan). 

So if you know me, you know I am a sort of pro at making cookies (specifically chocolate chip cookies). I was finally able to make some for my host family.  Except they turned out a bit different than usual....

Here's how they normally look:

Here's the "japanese version".

All in all they were still delicious and soft, just flat and a bit different. The flour and butter is different here, as is the oven. And usually in Japan, recipes are done by weight. My host mom handed me a scale and I was like "what's dis for?" haha. Instead of saying 3 cups of flour they weigh it out.

Anyway this weekend was the Homecoming day for Waseda (a day where all the alumni can come and celebrate with a festival). So the WIC (Waseda International Club)  decided to have a sort of competition called Yataimura. They basically divided everyone into continental groups and said "you cook this area's food". My friends Daichi and Tomo were on Team Europe and wanted me to join too so I went for it.
So Saturday we went to go make all this food to sell...

Preparing Pound Cake

And Sunday was the festival day and the day for it to be sold!  We had made meat pies, "curry sausage" and pound cake.

Other friends from Oregon. Team Europe signboard...the sign basically says "gentlemen in Waseda"

GENTLEMEN (yes, i brought the mustache from home with me)

Kunpei liked the mustache too though!

Tomo and Clare (she's actually from Europe haha)

Other teams, the Americas (statue of Liberty?) and Africa group

Busy and full of drunk older people haha

Waseda Jazz club band

This is the founder of Waseda. His name is Okuma. In Japanese Kuma means bear, so the mascot is a bear. So punny!

Me and a California student with the Waseda Bear. Like my cool hat?

That's all for now. Thursday is a "yasumi no hi" aka "day of rest" which means no school! ( I think it's the University founding day...and they celebrate it by canceling class haha). So we're taking a field trip to a place called Nikko which I am. so. excited. for. - expect a lot of pictures after then. <3