I have only slept for three hours, so forgive me if my mind isnt in the right place. So here goes the last update about my most recent adventures in Japan.
Thursday 8/4
After a LOT of sleep to get rid of all the tired from a busy day before, Asuka and I headed to Shinjuku to meet up with Risa and Yuka. I never met Risa and Yuka in Japan, but when I hung out with Asuka in KS (she went to KU the semester after I went to Sophia) she introduced me to the two of them. The four of us had lunch in a french crepe place in Takashimaya. It was... alright. I couldnt order anything too fancy becasue it was all in French and Japanese... We had fun though! Afterwards we window shopped for a bit and generally just wandered around the city. I really love Shinjuku. Auka had to ditch us early for work, but Risa, Yuka, and I ended up window shopping at a Don Quixote and reminicing about Wal-Mart. Afterwards I went hope and spend the evening with my host family.
Friday 8/5
This was my last day to spend with Asuka! We went to Shibuya and had all you can eat shabu shabu. Once we had eaten ourselves silly, we headed off for a little karaoke. I then decided that it was about time that I needed to buy some anime paraphanelia before I left Japan, so it was off to akihabara. Neither of us were familiar with the town, so we didnt stick around long. Instead we ran off to Ikebukuro, Asuka's favorite city, to go to an anime store she was familiar with there. After that we went to sunshine tower 60 and went up to the 60th floor. From there you can see Tokyo in its entierty. It was gorgeous! And since it was night, everything was lit up beautifully. I promise pictures of this one, because I cannot explain it with words!
Saturday 8/6
Wake up super early and its off to the train station. Yumi and Asuka send me off with a teary (mostly on my part) good bye at Shinjuku station. I sit in the starbucks there waiting for Atsuko. Atsuko is a fellow alto from the gospel choir I sang in at Sophia last year. She studied abroad in nor cal all last year, and we hung out in LA for a few days. She picked me up and we lugged my overly stuff suitcase (from all the omiyage the Sunouchi family had given me) all the way to her house. After watching the concert DVDs of the show we were in together, we threw on a couple of yukata and went a few station stops away for a matsuri. It was crowded and hot, but wonderful. I finally got to go to a matsuri and eat lots of matsuri foods!
Sunday 8/7
I had lunch with Haga in shinjuku on Sunday. We chatted a lot about what to do when he comes to California in September. I can't wait! Then I met back uo with Atsuko at her SAfro meeting. It was great to get to see them again! It was a planning meeting, so everyone wasnt there. But I remembered all the faces who were. They were glad to see me! A few of us went for an early dinner after the meeting. Then Atsuko and I were invited to another choir practice that was comprised of SAfro alumni. Wassan and Eisuke (to of the guys I know from SAfro) had joined it a semester prematurely. Attending the practice was really fun, and it was good to sing again. After practice we all went to an izakaya (food and drink bar) where I promptly drunk Eisuke under the table, lol. I made a very american mistake of drinking sake like a shot (IT COMES IN SHOT GLASSES!) instead of sipping it politely... whoops. It was delicious none the less. Apparently my understanding of Japanese has gotten a LOT better since last year, but I still have trouble following rapid converstaion. It was a really fun evening though. Atsuko was able to translate for me if I was ever really lost.
Monday 8/8
Atsuko and I made the long treck to Kamakua (almost 2 hours by train) to go to the beach! It was a hot and humid day like any other, but my the ocean the breeze was nice, and the ocean was pleasntly cool (not freezing, like in California). After splashing around a bit and getting way more wet than I intended to when I rouge wave tried to attack me, Atsuko and I passed out on the beach. The large lunch of cold soba we had had just before probably aided in that... Once we woke up we went back to Tokyo and to her grandparents house. Her grandma stuffed us silly with delicious home made tonkatsu and apple pie (strange pairing, i know) and then gave me more souviners. After a few rounds of card games, Atsuko and I were really tired, so we headed home. Afterfinally being able to take a shower to wash off all the sand and such from the beach, we watched the Studio Ghibli film that came out last year, Arietty. It was amazing. It has become my favorite from that studio. I absolutely adored it, and I suggest everyone watch it.
Tuesday 8/9
This time I had lunch with Nao and Alexis in Shinjuku, where we talked mostly of cosplay, crossplay, and visual kei. I love the diversity I have amongst my friends. After lunch Alexis left us, and Nao and I went to go look at comic books and fantasy/sci fi novels in an english book store. I swear I would forget that Nao isnt some geeky american girl if it wasnt for the fact that she has never been to america... I then sent a message from Nao's phone telling Astuko to meet me in Korea town for dinner. I waiting in front of the station in Korea town for over an hour before I gave up and tried to call from a pay phone.
Of course it was dead... I was afraid to leave and end up just missing her, so since my feet were tired I went to sit on a short fence while leaning against a pole. Doing the same thing on the opposite side of the pole was some guy who looked shocked to see that I sat *next* to him. The next thing I know im getting kissing noises from across the pole. I look straight ahead, and ignore him, looking for Atsuko. I can tell he is leaning back and looking right at me from around the pole, calling soflty for my attention, but I ignore him. He gives up. Thank god. I guess he gets a second round of courage because this time he nudges my shoulder (which is still leaning on the pole between us) and keeps calling for me. Then he starts to get creepy, he leans in to my ear and starts whispering, asking if I am okay and need any help. I sit straight up, shoot him as nasty of a glare as I can manage, and continue to strare straight ahead. Next thing I know his hand has wandered its way down the fence and is rubbing my ass. Completely freaked out at this point, I jump up and walk straight into the train station without stopping to look back. Once I am safely in shinjuku (the next stop away), I find a working pay phone and called Atsuko. Lucky for me she was also looking for me in Shinjuku.
We went back to Korea town together, and luckily the guy was gone. We wandered around for a bit, I was on the hunt for a specific Kpop bad poster, that was rather diffcult to find. But after the like... 8th store, Atsuko found it! Then we went for dinner. Korean BBQ and pancakes. Delicious! I went home full and happy (and completely broke). But then Atsuko surprised me with a round of karaoke! It was a fun way to end my last night in Japan.
I stayed up all night last night, reading, watching TV and surfing the internet to make sure that I am nice and sleep deprived for today, which I am. So now thats its finally 10am, I can go eat breakfast and catch my train for the airport.
Ja, matta ne!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
I am so very, very tired.
Monday 8/1
On Monday I go to to return to Nishi Kawaguchi for the first time in over a year. As soon as I got there I felt as if I had never left. My feet were on auto pilot as i lead asuka down the path I used to always walk to get home. It was great to see the place, but I couldn't go in... too bad. After a few pictures, the two of us walked to the mall I used to frequent for sushi for lunch. We also went to the international market, and I bought american brownie mix to share with the family! We also took some puri kura, because neither of us had done that in a while. A little window shopping, and then we were off.
After that we met up with Daichi in Ikebukuro and did some karaoke! I cant sing in Japanese, and they cant sing in English, so we never got to sing together... But it was fun! After Karaoke Daichi left us and Asuka and I did more window shopping before returning home.
Tuesday 8/2
Tuesday morning we woke up around 6am to go do Rajio Taiso (Radio Aerobics) at the local elementary school. Its a Japanese thing... it was pretty refreshing! Then we got dressed and headed to the Tokyo fish market in Sukiji. WOW. That's all I can say. So many people, so much FRESH fish. I don't even like fish... Which actually made it really hard for Asuka and I to find a place to eat, of course she wanted sashimi, and I wanted tempura. But every place sold one or the other, not both. Asuka eventually asked a group of random old men, and one of them was nice enough to walk us all the way to what I suspect is the only place that sells both. Talk about delicious! But Since I didn't sleep well the night before, I was kind of a zombie all morning... We then went to a mall to kill time for a few hours. I fell asleep sitting on a chair, haha.
After a little window shopping we met up with Noel and the three of us went to Oedo Onsen. It straight up looked like the bath house from Spirited Away! It was so cool! You go in and choose a yukata to wear around, then you go into the first changing room and put that on. Then you get to go into the recreation area. There were resteraunts, sleeping rooms, TV rooms, massage chairs and more. After a little ice cream, the three of us headed into the 2nd changing room where you disrobe and go into the actual onsen. There were like... 10 different types of baths! It was amazing. And 3 of them were outside. Of course we tried them all. I have never felt more relaxed and comfortable. We then went inside and took a short nap in the TV room. After that we headed for this foot path thing... It was a shallow onsen lined with various types of river rocks in various formations. You were supposed to slowly walk from one end to the other to stretch and massage your feet. Holy crap, that mess hurt! But afterwards our feet did feel a lot better, haha.
All and all we were in the Onsen for about 5 hours. By the time we left, Noel had to go meet friends for dinner. Asuka had heard that there was a matsuri (festival) is Ueno, so we went there. The matsuri was pretty pathetic... so we left really quickly and wandered around Ueno for a while... Eventually we just had some gyudon for dinner and went home. Back home I made american brownies for everyone with the mix i had bought before. It was a little difficult using metric measurements and cooking in Celsius.... but they came out amazing!
Wednesday 8/3
Wake up early and fight through morning rush hour train traffic to go to DISNEYLAND!!!! Tokyo Disney and Disneyland are very similar. Big Thunder mountain in Tokyo is like 3 times longer. There is no matter horn... and all the Disney songs are in Japanese (weird). But it was a really fun day. We got to ride everything! The electrical lights parade at the end of the night was amazing. Oh, and cinderella's castle in Tokyo? Sooooo much bigger and prettier! All three of us were dead tired by the end of the day, but it was so worth it! No matter the 2 hours or so of rain and the ridiculous amount of humidity, Disneyland is always fun!
Because Asuka and her family are going on vacation this weekend, I have made arrangements to stay with a friend from SAfro FAmily. That means I only have two more days with the Sunouchi's. Gotta make the best of it!
On Monday I go to to return to Nishi Kawaguchi for the first time in over a year. As soon as I got there I felt as if I had never left. My feet were on auto pilot as i lead asuka down the path I used to always walk to get home. It was great to see the place, but I couldn't go in... too bad. After a few pictures, the two of us walked to the mall I used to frequent for sushi for lunch. We also went to the international market, and I bought american brownie mix to share with the family! We also took some puri kura, because neither of us had done that in a while. A little window shopping, and then we were off.
After that we met up with Daichi in Ikebukuro and did some karaoke! I cant sing in Japanese, and they cant sing in English, so we never got to sing together... But it was fun! After Karaoke Daichi left us and Asuka and I did more window shopping before returning home.
Tuesday 8/2
Tuesday morning we woke up around 6am to go do Rajio Taiso (Radio Aerobics) at the local elementary school. Its a Japanese thing... it was pretty refreshing! Then we got dressed and headed to the Tokyo fish market in Sukiji. WOW. That's all I can say. So many people, so much FRESH fish. I don't even like fish... Which actually made it really hard for Asuka and I to find a place to eat, of course she wanted sashimi, and I wanted tempura. But every place sold one or the other, not both. Asuka eventually asked a group of random old men, and one of them was nice enough to walk us all the way to what I suspect is the only place that sells both. Talk about delicious! But Since I didn't sleep well the night before, I was kind of a zombie all morning... We then went to a mall to kill time for a few hours. I fell asleep sitting on a chair, haha.
After a little window shopping we met up with Noel and the three of us went to Oedo Onsen. It straight up looked like the bath house from Spirited Away! It was so cool! You go in and choose a yukata to wear around, then you go into the first changing room and put that on. Then you get to go into the recreation area. There were resteraunts, sleeping rooms, TV rooms, massage chairs and more. After a little ice cream, the three of us headed into the 2nd changing room where you disrobe and go into the actual onsen. There were like... 10 different types of baths! It was amazing. And 3 of them were outside. Of course we tried them all. I have never felt more relaxed and comfortable. We then went inside and took a short nap in the TV room. After that we headed for this foot path thing... It was a shallow onsen lined with various types of river rocks in various formations. You were supposed to slowly walk from one end to the other to stretch and massage your feet. Holy crap, that mess hurt! But afterwards our feet did feel a lot better, haha.
All and all we were in the Onsen for about 5 hours. By the time we left, Noel had to go meet friends for dinner. Asuka had heard that there was a matsuri (festival) is Ueno, so we went there. The matsuri was pretty pathetic... so we left really quickly and wandered around Ueno for a while... Eventually we just had some gyudon for dinner and went home. Back home I made american brownies for everyone with the mix i had bought before. It was a little difficult using metric measurements and cooking in Celsius.... but they came out amazing!
Wednesday 8/3
Wake up early and fight through morning rush hour train traffic to go to DISNEYLAND!!!! Tokyo Disney and Disneyland are very similar. Big Thunder mountain in Tokyo is like 3 times longer. There is no matter horn... and all the Disney songs are in Japanese (weird). But it was a really fun day. We got to ride everything! The electrical lights parade at the end of the night was amazing. Oh, and cinderella's castle in Tokyo? Sooooo much bigger and prettier! All three of us were dead tired by the end of the day, but it was so worth it! No matter the 2 hours or so of rain and the ridiculous amount of humidity, Disneyland is always fun!
Because Asuka and her family are going on vacation this weekend, I have made arrangements to stay with a friend from SAfro FAmily. That means I only have two more days with the Sunouchi's. Gotta make the best of it!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
I'm back!!!
Woooow, so a little after a year of leaving Japan I am back again for a (way too short) two week vacation. I figured bring this blog back alive for the two weeks to log what i've been up to was appropriate. So here goes!
Tuesday 7/26 - Wednesday 7/27
I only slept just over 3 hours before getting up to go to the airport. I had to get there excessively early, and then there were no lines anywhere in the whole international terminal. It was really weird, complete 180 from the southwest terminal. I ate a quick breakfast then went to my gate and went to sleep. The plane ride was uneventful. I slept, ate, slept summore. Then I couldn't sleep, so I watched three movies (Battle LA, Paul, Limitless), all surprisingly good. Once I landed in Japan I was on my own for the first time to get myself to Tokyo. For a good hour after I got on the train I was worried that I was on the wrong one, even though I knew I was on the right one, lol. At the Ikebukuro station I met Asuka. Asuka was the first friend I made in Japan, and we have stayed close all this time. She brought me to her home where I was reunited with her mother and little brother. After a nice dinner and a quick shower, it was off to sleep for me. I had been sleeping a lot... but when you are on a plane for 11 hours and a train for another 2, and when you left one place on a Tuesday morning and arrive in another on a Wednesday afternoon, you tend to be pretty jet-lagged.
Thursday 7/28
Asuka and her mother had to work, so it was me and little brother Daichi for the day! Daichi studies English, but is really shy, so we only conversed in Japanese. Apparently I haven't forgotten as much as I thought I had. The studying before I came here def helped. Daichi and I had gyudon (grilled beef over rice) for lunch Its simple, but a staple, and a fav of mine that I have really missed. Then we went and saw the latest Miyazaki movie. Considering his last one hasn't even come to America yet, I was really excited to see it! I loved it, it was super cute, and I was able to understand what was going on with minimal difficulty. Between lunch and the movie, Daichi and I had a lot of time to kill, so we wandered around a small book shop. Small talk is awkward with a shy boy who only speaks a language you are studying. And did I mention he is a 16 year old High School student whose mom made him take me to the movie? Haha, poor kid!
After the movie, I left Daichi and went to shinjuku to meet up with Haga and the rest of the Kioi circle (Sophia's GSA) that I was a part of last year. It was great to get to see everyone again! There English was better, and my Japanese is apparently better, so communicating was a LOT easier. We ate dinner at Sweets Paradise, an all you can eat pasta and dessert bar. Delicious! Then we went out for drinks. I missed those guys, it was great fun!
Friday 7/29
Asuka and I went to Sophia because she had a paper to turn in. I was really nice to see my old school once again. I was nostalgia-ing all over the place! We also had lunch at my favorite Indian place, Mumbia. I used to go there almost weekly. It tasted even better than I remembered. We pretty much ate ourselves silly, haha. After that we headed to Harajuku for a little window shopping. After that we went to Meiji temple. I had always seen the entrance for it, but had never gone. It was beautiful! They planted a forest in the middle of the city, and the further you go in, the harder it is to remember that you are even in a city at all. After harajuku we headed over to Tokyo Tower. We went all the way to the top and the view was amazing! Pictures will come later (after I get back to LA). We then headed to Shin Okubo which is Korea Town. I wanted to find a poster of the boy band MBLAQ, but everywhere was sold out of them! I tried like.... 7 places. Wth? Eventually Yumi (asuka's mom) and Daichi joined us and we all had Korean BBQ for dinner. Once we get back home, I meet Hiroki, asuka's dad who had just returned from a business trip in southern Japan.
Saturday 7/30
We all wake up super early and load into the family van. Then we go and pick up grandma and grandpa, then the Sunouchi family (plus one) are off to Mt. Fuji!Us kids pretty much slept the entire way there. When we were close, we stopped for lunch at a popular local resteraunt and had some sort of hot pot dish... it was delicious, whatever it was. No longer in Tokyo, my presence everywhere garnered a lot of attention. Gotta get used to that again... After lunch we drove up onto the mountain and went as high as cars are allowed to go. There was a pretty shrine that was supposed to have an amazing view, but since the weekend was annoyingly rainy, it was too cloudy to see very far. We were, however, high enough to be above the rain cloud line. So as we looked down the mountain we could only see so far before it all turned a light gray. I commented that it looked like the edge of the world, and Yumi agreed. Asuka and I then began our hike up the mountain. Unfortunately an incoming storm made us turn back after a while, so that we could return to the car before getting rained on. We then all went to the hotel. It wasnt that late, but it was raining super heard so we stayed in for the evening. We played a little ping pong, tried out the bath house, and played cards as a family while watching TV. Dinner was also in there somewhere...
Sunday 7/31
Yesterday we woke up early for a nice breakfast, then packed our bags and headed out. We went to the Kawaguchi Musical Garden. It was at the base of the mountain, and gorgeous! The garden/museum thing featured a lot of self playing music boxes ranging from one that was the size of the entire room to one that was 500 years old, to one that had actual violins hooked up to it, to the small normal ones in the gift shop. It was surprisingly fun. And Hiro-kun is such a goof-ball, he can make any situation pretty funny. Apparently the city at the base of Mt. Fuji where we were is famous for peaches, so we stopped at a peach stand by the side of the road and had some. They were HUGE and pretty darn good. After that we all slept as we made the long drive back to Tokyo. We had Okonomiyaki for lunch and then Yumi and I bought a few desserts for the family. Back at grandma and grandpa's place we ate more peaches with dessert and coffee/tea. Then it was back home finally.
That brings us to today where for the 5th day in a row I am awake around 7am. I swear as soon as I am on a normal sleep schedule, I am going to have to leave! The plan for today is to go visit my old home in Nishi Kwaguchi, and possibly some Karaoke with Diachi.
Ja, matta ne!
Tuesday 7/26 - Wednesday 7/27
I only slept just over 3 hours before getting up to go to the airport. I had to get there excessively early, and then there were no lines anywhere in the whole international terminal. It was really weird, complete 180 from the southwest terminal. I ate a quick breakfast then went to my gate and went to sleep. The plane ride was uneventful. I slept, ate, slept summore. Then I couldn't sleep, so I watched three movies (Battle LA, Paul, Limitless), all surprisingly good. Once I landed in Japan I was on my own for the first time to get myself to Tokyo. For a good hour after I got on the train I was worried that I was on the wrong one, even though I knew I was on the right one, lol. At the Ikebukuro station I met Asuka. Asuka was the first friend I made in Japan, and we have stayed close all this time. She brought me to her home where I was reunited with her mother and little brother. After a nice dinner and a quick shower, it was off to sleep for me. I had been sleeping a lot... but when you are on a plane for 11 hours and a train for another 2, and when you left one place on a Tuesday morning and arrive in another on a Wednesday afternoon, you tend to be pretty jet-lagged.
Thursday 7/28
Asuka and her mother had to work, so it was me and little brother Daichi for the day! Daichi studies English, but is really shy, so we only conversed in Japanese. Apparently I haven't forgotten as much as I thought I had. The studying before I came here def helped. Daichi and I had gyudon (grilled beef over rice) for lunch Its simple, but a staple, and a fav of mine that I have really missed. Then we went and saw the latest Miyazaki movie. Considering his last one hasn't even come to America yet, I was really excited to see it! I loved it, it was super cute, and I was able to understand what was going on with minimal difficulty. Between lunch and the movie, Daichi and I had a lot of time to kill, so we wandered around a small book shop. Small talk is awkward with a shy boy who only speaks a language you are studying. And did I mention he is a 16 year old High School student whose mom made him take me to the movie? Haha, poor kid!
After the movie, I left Daichi and went to shinjuku to meet up with Haga and the rest of the Kioi circle (Sophia's GSA) that I was a part of last year. It was great to get to see everyone again! There English was better, and my Japanese is apparently better, so communicating was a LOT easier. We ate dinner at Sweets Paradise, an all you can eat pasta and dessert bar. Delicious! Then we went out for drinks. I missed those guys, it was great fun!
Friday 7/29
Asuka and I went to Sophia because she had a paper to turn in. I was really nice to see my old school once again. I was nostalgia-ing all over the place! We also had lunch at my favorite Indian place, Mumbia. I used to go there almost weekly. It tasted even better than I remembered. We pretty much ate ourselves silly, haha. After that we headed to Harajuku for a little window shopping. After that we went to Meiji temple. I had always seen the entrance for it, but had never gone. It was beautiful! They planted a forest in the middle of the city, and the further you go in, the harder it is to remember that you are even in a city at all. After harajuku we headed over to Tokyo Tower. We went all the way to the top and the view was amazing! Pictures will come later (after I get back to LA). We then headed to Shin Okubo which is Korea Town. I wanted to find a poster of the boy band MBLAQ, but everywhere was sold out of them! I tried like.... 7 places. Wth? Eventually Yumi (asuka's mom) and Daichi joined us and we all had Korean BBQ for dinner. Once we get back home, I meet Hiroki, asuka's dad who had just returned from a business trip in southern Japan.
Saturday 7/30
We all wake up super early and load into the family van. Then we go and pick up grandma and grandpa, then the Sunouchi family (plus one) are off to Mt. Fuji!Us kids pretty much slept the entire way there. When we were close, we stopped for lunch at a popular local resteraunt and had some sort of hot pot dish... it was delicious, whatever it was. No longer in Tokyo, my presence everywhere garnered a lot of attention. Gotta get used to that again... After lunch we drove up onto the mountain and went as high as cars are allowed to go. There was a pretty shrine that was supposed to have an amazing view, but since the weekend was annoyingly rainy, it was too cloudy to see very far. We were, however, high enough to be above the rain cloud line. So as we looked down the mountain we could only see so far before it all turned a light gray. I commented that it looked like the edge of the world, and Yumi agreed. Asuka and I then began our hike up the mountain. Unfortunately an incoming storm made us turn back after a while, so that we could return to the car before getting rained on. We then all went to the hotel. It wasnt that late, but it was raining super heard so we stayed in for the evening. We played a little ping pong, tried out the bath house, and played cards as a family while watching TV. Dinner was also in there somewhere...
Sunday 7/31
Yesterday we woke up early for a nice breakfast, then packed our bags and headed out. We went to the Kawaguchi Musical Garden. It was at the base of the mountain, and gorgeous! The garden/museum thing featured a lot of self playing music boxes ranging from one that was the size of the entire room to one that was 500 years old, to one that had actual violins hooked up to it, to the small normal ones in the gift shop. It was surprisingly fun. And Hiro-kun is such a goof-ball, he can make any situation pretty funny. Apparently the city at the base of Mt. Fuji where we were is famous for peaches, so we stopped at a peach stand by the side of the road and had some. They were HUGE and pretty darn good. After that we all slept as we made the long drive back to Tokyo. We had Okonomiyaki for lunch and then Yumi and I bought a few desserts for the family. Back at grandma and grandpa's place we ate more peaches with dessert and coffee/tea. Then it was back home finally.
That brings us to today where for the 5th day in a row I am awake around 7am. I swear as soon as I am on a normal sleep schedule, I am going to have to leave! The plan for today is to go visit my old home in Nishi Kwaguchi, and possibly some Karaoke with Diachi.
Ja, matta ne!
Monday, July 5, 2010
Picture Time!!! - Part 8
My friends and I had a beach trip in Odaiba. The beach was filthy, but we had a lot of fun. We ate delicious Mexican food! And saw the Japanese statue of liberty!
Here we are on the Tower of Terror at Tokyo Disney Sea. Note that Yong has his face buried in my shoulder while he screams. Good times! Disneyland in Japan is amazing!
I threw a surprise party for my friend Yong's 20th b-day. We went to Red Lobster for a fantastic 9 course meal!!! Look at how full and happy we are, lol.
My besties and I!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Success!!!
So many good things have happened since I last updated... where to begin...
The week before last week's Wednesday Yong and I met with an activist and scholar here in Tokyo who introduced us to all of his friends. Can you say connections?! That was kind of an amazing night, we left there so informed and so elated! Then we ate burger king which is sinfully good here, and my favorite guilty pleasure in Japan...
The week before last week's Thursday was cRAZY. I'm walking to the train station around 8am with Yong and we see Anna heading in the opposite direction. Turns out the Keihin-Tohoku line (the one I take to school and the only one at my local station) was stopped completely because someone jumped onto the tracks about three stations away. If you remember from one of my previous entires, this is actually a pretty common tragedy in Japan. And its really annoying. I was waiting at the train station for about an hour and 15min before I finally got on an actual train. By that time, school had already started, and I have an hour commute. I have to give mad props to the Japanese people, however. They stood there patiently waiting. Everyone was going to be late for school and work, and yet the stood there, in perfectly formed lines, without any sort of guidance. In america there would have been rioting, complaining, yelling, pushing, and fighting to say the least. I ended up making it to like, the last 30min of my first period, which is full of people who live in the same dorm as me... so it was mostly empty. Most people didn't even bother to go to school that day.
Then last week's Friday me and all my friends hit up the mall for sushi and a mini shopping spree. I got all the accessories I need for my concert for like... $17. That was super fun! Then we went to a cafe that we are pretty sure had never had foreigners in it before... The waiter stared at us like we had antennae sticking out of our ears. It was a bit awkward, but pleasant once we finally got settled...
Just this last weekend a few of my friends and I hit up the beach in Odaiba. I think the best part was that we got to eat at an all you can eat Mexican food place. I have missed Mexican food SO MUCH since I have been here. It was amazing. And delicious. We ate ourselves silly and then passed out on the beach. We also played a lot of cards and Frisbee to pass the time. Beach going in Japan is a lot different though... most people were fully clothed and barely went near the water... Ah well.
That night Yong and I met up with some other friends at a club for nomi-hodai (all you can drink). I made a lot of new friends that night... there was a crazy chain of friends of friends of friends who brought friends. Haha. Good times though! It kinda funny how I can meet someone from a different country and our mutual language is Japanese. Though everyone knows at least a little English... America fails at languages.
This week my friends and I checked out a new place for lunch. Once again I ended up eating myself stupid. So much delicious food. Japan loves to have tabe-hodai (all you can eat) specials during lunch. ALL restaurants do it. Its a beautiful thing for a college student on a budget, haha.
On Tuesday I had a job interview with the Tokyo Global Society. The woman who interviewed me loved me! So not only did I get a job where I get to work with kids and teach them English. But I think I will also be making a lot of really beneficial connections here. Networking is fun!
This weekend I have choir activities alllllll day on Saturday (11:30am - 8pm ish). The concert is coming quick! I am excited, but a little sad because once its over, there are no more practices. But I already have plans with some to go and hang out, so thats good!
Well... thats all for now. More pictures later!
Ja! Matta!
The week before last week's Wednesday Yong and I met with an activist and scholar here in Tokyo who introduced us to all of his friends. Can you say connections?! That was kind of an amazing night, we left there so informed and so elated! Then we ate burger king which is sinfully good here, and my favorite guilty pleasure in Japan...
The week before last week's Thursday was cRAZY. I'm walking to the train station around 8am with Yong and we see Anna heading in the opposite direction. Turns out the Keihin-Tohoku line (the one I take to school and the only one at my local station) was stopped completely because someone jumped onto the tracks about three stations away. If you remember from one of my previous entires, this is actually a pretty common tragedy in Japan. And its really annoying. I was waiting at the train station for about an hour and 15min before I finally got on an actual train. By that time, school had already started, and I have an hour commute. I have to give mad props to the Japanese people, however. They stood there patiently waiting. Everyone was going to be late for school and work, and yet the stood there, in perfectly formed lines, without any sort of guidance. In america there would have been rioting, complaining, yelling, pushing, and fighting to say the least. I ended up making it to like, the last 30min of my first period, which is full of people who live in the same dorm as me... so it was mostly empty. Most people didn't even bother to go to school that day.
Then last week's Friday me and all my friends hit up the mall for sushi and a mini shopping spree. I got all the accessories I need for my concert for like... $17. That was super fun! Then we went to a cafe that we are pretty sure had never had foreigners in it before... The waiter stared at us like we had antennae sticking out of our ears. It was a bit awkward, but pleasant once we finally got settled...
Just this last weekend a few of my friends and I hit up the beach in Odaiba. I think the best part was that we got to eat at an all you can eat Mexican food place. I have missed Mexican food SO MUCH since I have been here. It was amazing. And delicious. We ate ourselves silly and then passed out on the beach. We also played a lot of cards and Frisbee to pass the time. Beach going in Japan is a lot different though... most people were fully clothed and barely went near the water... Ah well.
That night Yong and I met up with some other friends at a club for nomi-hodai (all you can drink). I made a lot of new friends that night... there was a crazy chain of friends of friends of friends who brought friends. Haha. Good times though! It kinda funny how I can meet someone from a different country and our mutual language is Japanese. Though everyone knows at least a little English... America fails at languages.
This week my friends and I checked out a new place for lunch. Once again I ended up eating myself stupid. So much delicious food. Japan loves to have tabe-hodai (all you can eat) specials during lunch. ALL restaurants do it. Its a beautiful thing for a college student on a budget, haha.
On Tuesday I had a job interview with the Tokyo Global Society. The woman who interviewed me loved me! So not only did I get a job where I get to work with kids and teach them English. But I think I will also be making a lot of really beneficial connections here. Networking is fun!
This weekend I have choir activities alllllll day on Saturday (11:30am - 8pm ish). The concert is coming quick! I am excited, but a little sad because once its over, there are no more practices. But I already have plans with some to go and hang out, so thats good!
Well... thats all for now. More pictures later!
Ja! Matta!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Picture Time!!! - Part 7
Don't forget to check out the update below first, so you know what these pictures are from!
Dinner with the SAfro FAmily altos! A night all in Japanese.
Me singing a small preview concert with just over half of the choir... I'm easy to find, huh?
Me with Shawn and Alexis when they visited me in Japan!
The Tuesday night bar-hopping gang! We were all paired up too!
Building epicness at the toy store...
Izumi Sensei!!! As cute as ever!
I should probably update this thing...
Oh! Sorry, it's been a while, huh?
Honestly, I don't have too much to say... school is school, choir is choir, and weekends are fun. Since I last updated I have sang three solos in choir practice... two of which we awesome and one of which was fail. But I've started to make more friends in the club. I went out to eat with all the Alto's one night and spent the entire evening conversing almost solely in Japanese. It was hard, but its good to know that I can do it!
What else.... Oh! I got to meet up with my Japanese teacher from high school, Izumi Sensei. The woman who taught me the foundation of my Japanese and first took me to Japan exactly four years ago. We went for Thai food (yum!) and coffee. Despite the slight rain, it was a pleasant time out... I hope I get to see her again before I leave...
I was also visited by two friends of mine who just graduated from LMU. I spend the day shopping in Harajuku with them, and then we went bar hopping (on a Tuesday night (>_<) ) in Shinjuku. It was really fun! I think they really enjoyed themselves, which is nice. Its fun to have people visit!
In the social circle that I am in, me and my friend Yong have been interviewing some of the Japanese members about the differences between our cultures. Last weeks interview of the club president and his friend was a riot and a half! We barely understood each other, but we were laughing so hard we cried. That was super fun!
I think that that is about it... Oh! I sang in a preview concert with the Safro Family choir (that's the name of the choir that I am in) last Thursday. That was super fun! Its gotten me really excited for the big concert in July (only a month away!!!). I am also planning on going to karaoke with a bunch of safro people sometime soon... that should be all kinds of entertaining!
Okay.. that's all for now. I am going to go study for midterms. Class is so easy here, but midterms are going to be impossible!!! I can only image how badly I'll die for finals...
Ja! Matta ne!
Honestly, I don't have too much to say... school is school, choir is choir, and weekends are fun. Since I last updated I have sang three solos in choir practice... two of which we awesome and one of which was fail. But I've started to make more friends in the club. I went out to eat with all the Alto's one night and spent the entire evening conversing almost solely in Japanese. It was hard, but its good to know that I can do it!
What else.... Oh! I got to meet up with my Japanese teacher from high school, Izumi Sensei. The woman who taught me the foundation of my Japanese and first took me to Japan exactly four years ago. We went for Thai food (yum!) and coffee. Despite the slight rain, it was a pleasant time out... I hope I get to see her again before I leave...
I was also visited by two friends of mine who just graduated from LMU. I spend the day shopping in Harajuku with them, and then we went bar hopping (on a Tuesday night (>_<) ) in Shinjuku. It was really fun! I think they really enjoyed themselves, which is nice. Its fun to have people visit!
In the social circle that I am in, me and my friend Yong have been interviewing some of the Japanese members about the differences between our cultures. Last weeks interview of the club president and his friend was a riot and a half! We barely understood each other, but we were laughing so hard we cried. That was super fun!
I think that that is about it... Oh! I sang in a preview concert with the Safro Family choir (that's the name of the choir that I am in) last Thursday. That was super fun! Its gotten me really excited for the big concert in July (only a month away!!!). I am also planning on going to karaoke with a bunch of safro people sometime soon... that should be all kinds of entertaining!
Okay.. that's all for now. I am going to go study for midterms. Class is so easy here, but midterms are going to be impossible!!! I can only image how badly I'll die for finals...
Ja! Matta ne!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Picture Time!!! - Part 6
Kyoto Pictures!!!
In Nara, there is a park where Deer will come up to you for food. You can pet them, and they bow to you. Its really fun, unless a lot of them are hungry, then you gotta watch your back!
Todaiji temple, in Nara. Big, and beautiful. My favorite...
The Buddah in Todaiji temple. This picture does not demonstrate how huge that thing really is. Remember his ear is bigger than you...
Its said that if you can make it through the hole in this pillar (the same size as the pupil of the Buddah's eye), you will be prosperous in life. I didn't fit (stupid boobs), so I ended up buying a good luck charm to offset the bad luck...
Me at the silver pavilion, ginkakuji
The Wabisabi of ginkakuji
Ninja cafe! I couldn't get a picture with the real ninja... they were too fast, it came out blurry.
Outside the door to our youth hostel.
kinkakuji, the golden pavilion!
Asuka and I in the mountains.
I found about a million tanuki in kyoto. They are good luck charms! And adorably creepy.
Kiyomizudea temple!
Being in kyoto makes you feel like you've been transported to the past...
Well, that's it for now! Vblog to come... eventually about what I have been up to lately. Thanks for reading... I'm off to go do homework.. maybe... probably... hopefully...
ja! matta!
Friday, May 14, 2010
So last weekend I went to Kyoto...
Kyoto is the ancient capital of Japan. Its where the old imperial palace is, and its full of shrines and temples that are thousands of years old. Its probably the most historically/culturally rich place in Japan and I saw it all in two days...
Asuka and her friend Noel planned the whole thing. Yulia, Kerry and I just came along. We took the night bus from Shinjuku station at about midnight and slept the whole trip there. It was just under seven hours. When we got there we changed in the train station bathroom (super classy, I know) and then ate a quick breakfast at McDonalds.
Then the real fun began. I met up with my friend Leah from High School back in KC and we all went to Nara to visit todaiji temple. Todaiji temple is located at the back of this long park that is full of deer. Tame deer that will bow to you in order to get food. They are adorable! And aggressive... haha. Todaiji temple in its self is breathtaking. It has a gigantic Buddha who's ear is 50% bigger than I am. His EAR.
We went to a few other places in Nara and even ate lunch there. Then we headed back to Kyoto station and took a bus to ginkakuji (the silver pavilion). The was what the Japanese call wabisabi, which means simple beauty. After that we met up with my friend Travis from LMU and some of his friends and went out to eat at a ninja cafe. It was tabehodai (all you can eat) and half of it was sweets. Oh... and it was ninja themed! Kinda awesome. Very delicious. After that we headed to our hostel for the night.
The hostel was nice. Very traditionally Japanese. We meet some nice buisness men on a vacation there. One of them had been a missionary in Uganda and told me that he felt very close to me and wanted to be friends because.... well, I'm black. Awkward.... but he meant well, haha.
The next morning we were up bright and early and headed for kinkakuji (the golden pavilion) which is REALLY gold, and really shiny... Its pretty, but I much more prefer the wabisabi of the silver pavilion. Kyoto is very close to rural Japan. So we took a train ride to arashiyama, which is this beautiful countryside mountain town. We took a scenic train ride through the mountains. It was breathtaking. My pictures do not do it justice. Then we walked down the mountain through a bamboo forest. Gorgeous. We stopped at a really nice temple too, on the way down.
After all that excitement in arashiyama, we ate lunch and then returned to Kyoto. There we went to kiyomizudera. The most beautifully scenic temple in Kyoto. After we wandered around that for a while, we went and got dinner. Then it was almost time to go home, but not before going to an onsen! Onsen is a traditional public bathhouse. We found a nice one near by kyomizudera (which is also where our hostel was). It was very relaxing. My favorite bath was dark green because it was full of tea. There was one that was slightly electrocuted... but we agreed that apparently only old women can get in that one...
Then we took the night bus back and arrived in Tokyo on Monday morning at like... 6:30. Kerry and I did homework in a KFC for over an hour while waiting for school to open. Then I went to a full day of school and choir practice and didn't get home again until 9:30ish on Monday night. I was tired and sore all this week, but it was so worth it!
Pictures and an update about my week to come later...
matta, ne!
Asuka and her friend Noel planned the whole thing. Yulia, Kerry and I just came along. We took the night bus from Shinjuku station at about midnight and slept the whole trip there. It was just under seven hours. When we got there we changed in the train station bathroom (super classy, I know) and then ate a quick breakfast at McDonalds.
Then the real fun began. I met up with my friend Leah from High School back in KC and we all went to Nara to visit todaiji temple. Todaiji temple is located at the back of this long park that is full of deer. Tame deer that will bow to you in order to get food. They are adorable! And aggressive... haha. Todaiji temple in its self is breathtaking. It has a gigantic Buddha who's ear is 50% bigger than I am. His EAR.
We went to a few other places in Nara and even ate lunch there. Then we headed back to Kyoto station and took a bus to ginkakuji (the silver pavilion). The was what the Japanese call wabisabi, which means simple beauty. After that we met up with my friend Travis from LMU and some of his friends and went out to eat at a ninja cafe. It was tabehodai (all you can eat) and half of it was sweets. Oh... and it was ninja themed! Kinda awesome. Very delicious. After that we headed to our hostel for the night.
The hostel was nice. Very traditionally Japanese. We meet some nice buisness men on a vacation there. One of them had been a missionary in Uganda and told me that he felt very close to me and wanted to be friends because.... well, I'm black. Awkward.... but he meant well, haha.
The next morning we were up bright and early and headed for kinkakuji (the golden pavilion) which is REALLY gold, and really shiny... Its pretty, but I much more prefer the wabisabi of the silver pavilion. Kyoto is very close to rural Japan. So we took a train ride to arashiyama, which is this beautiful countryside mountain town. We took a scenic train ride through the mountains. It was breathtaking. My pictures do not do it justice. Then we walked down the mountain through a bamboo forest. Gorgeous. We stopped at a really nice temple too, on the way down.
After all that excitement in arashiyama, we ate lunch and then returned to Kyoto. There we went to kiyomizudera. The most beautifully scenic temple in Kyoto. After we wandered around that for a while, we went and got dinner. Then it was almost time to go home, but not before going to an onsen! Onsen is a traditional public bathhouse. We found a nice one near by kyomizudera (which is also where our hostel was). It was very relaxing. My favorite bath was dark green because it was full of tea. There was one that was slightly electrocuted... but we agreed that apparently only old women can get in that one...
Then we took the night bus back and arrived in Tokyo on Monday morning at like... 6:30. Kerry and I did homework in a KFC for over an hour while waiting for school to open. Then I went to a full day of school and choir practice and didn't get home again until 9:30ish on Monday night. I was tired and sore all this week, but it was so worth it!
Pictures and an update about my week to come later...
matta, ne!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Golden Week
Golden week is when there are three Japanese national holidays in a row, so its three days off of work/school bumped right next to a week. Also, Japan having an emperor, his birthday is also a national holiday. The current emperor's birthday happens to be the Thursday before Golden Week. So This is how I celebrated...
Thursday - Emperor's Birthday
Kaitrin came over to DKH for lunch. We went out to LaLa Garden, the local mall, for sushi. When we got there, there were guys outside running a booth for children where you could shoot at a target while balancing on a bucking "horse". The prize was candy! So Kaitrin tried it and hilarity ensued. They also had a taiko drum up there for show, but of course I wanted to play it. So I did, and they were really surprised that I knew what I was doing.... that was fun! We had sushi and shopped for a bit, then left to meet up with Bryce in Ueno.
In Ueno we went to the national park there, and hit up the zoo. Animals in Japan know how to put on a show! They all came right up to the bars and looked at you and acted out... it was fantastic! I took a million pictures... most are on facebook, but I will make a picture post here later (after I finally do that homework that I am currently trying to ignore).
After the Zoo closed, we went out for dinner. While at dinner, the girls (not me, I was sitting with the boys somewhere different, most Japanese places can't handle large groups) starting chatting with some college boys sitting near them. They ended up inviting us all to go drinking. We agreed, but then they found out that the party they were going to was invitation only, and we weren't invited. Oh well, easy come, easy go. When just wandering around Shibuya, Mary runs into a friend of hers, and at the same time I run into two of mine from SAfro (choir). We end up forming two little conversation groups across the street from the station and talking for about an hour and a half. It was fun! That was it for Thursday...
Friday - not a holiday, but I made it one
Woke up and went on a bike ride with Mary and Meghann to pick up our alien registration cards. We got lost and went in a big circle, but it was a nice day, so we really didn't mind. We then went out for lunch. The rest of the day was just spent laying about and relaxing. It was much needed, and much appreciated.
Saturday
Woke up early and took the train with Bryce, Yong, and Pricilla to Yokohama. Yokohama is the 2nd largest city in Japan, is right next to the ocean, and was about an hour away to the main station. Once we got there we met up with Haga and some others from the social circle I joined at school. Then we rode the seaside train to Sea Paradise. That was quite an amazing aquarium! We walked through the aquarium, then saw a sea world esq sea mammal show, then went to the petting zoo (yes, at an aquarium), and finished it off by chilling out at dolphin fantasy. All in all it was a great day. We headed back to the main part of yokohama and got ramen and just hung out. Then it was back home.
Sunday
Kerry, Yong, and I went exploring Kawaguchi, the next city over from where we live. It was really pretty. We wandered aimlessly until we found these two cute guys performing on the street. We stopped to listen and they were REALLY good! All three of us bought an album, had them sign them, and took a picture with them. It was pretty great. They made their first American fans! That was pretty much it for that day, another lazy one...
Monday - Constitution Day
Monday we went to Ome and met up with Moeko in her home town for a Matsuri (festival). It was a celebration of the twelve villages of the city that are protected by this one Shinto Shrine. So there were vendors everywhere selling food and what not, but then there were these twelve floats that each had its own oni (demon) and taiko band. They were being pulled up and down the street doing a sort of battle of the band against one another. It was fantastic. But dangerous, I had to save an old lady half my size who got wrapped up in the giant roped used to pull the floats.
The strangest thing about the matsuri was the fact that clearly Ome is not used to foreigners. I was there with a lot of gaijin (foreigners) and we got a lot of double takes. But Meghann and I were getting blatant stares, pointing, people sneaking pictures of us when they thought we weren't looking, and even people coming up to the two of us asking to take our picture! We were more of a spectacle than the actual Matsuri for these people... it was surreal. I still don't know if I liked it or not....
After the matsuri we went to Moeko's house where her mom had created a Japanese feast for us. We all sat around the dinner table (it was a bit cramped) and talked about the cultural differences between us gaijin and the Japanese. It was really fun, and very interesting! We taught them american slang and they told us about Japanese stereotypes for americans. Apparently we eat hamburgers all day every day.
After dinner we went home together on the train. They were close to empty for a better part of the way, so there was a lot of dancing and climbing up onto luggage racks and what not. It was hilarious. That was definitely my 2nd favorite night of the week!
Tuesday - Greenery Day
Kerry and I met up with Bryce and Yong and we hit up the Tokyo Dome City amusement park. Roller coasters baby! Every ride was lots of fun. Waiting in line was also really fun. We played hand jive games and cards and were generally really giggly the entire time. We ended the night with a ride on a huge ferris wheel... priceless.
Then we met up with Pricilla and went for nomihodai (all you can drink). We ate and drank and played drinking games and sang Karaoke and danced. Our waiter (who was super cute) was drinking with us and the two other groups of two in the bar, so by the end of the night we were all just a giggling mass of bad singers belting out lady gaga and random Japanese songs at the top of our lungs.... Good times.
Then it was time to try and rush to catch last train home! Kerry, Yong and I didn't make it. So we took a taxi to Katrin's place and crashed there until the trains were running in the morning. Of course I don't sleep well (snoring keeps me up) and by the time we get home, I am on my 2nd wind and can't sleep anyways. I ended up taking a 3 hour nap or so today... so I am good to go for now.
Wednesday (today) - Children's day
Grocery shopping and homework.... I got school tomorrow!
Thursday - Emperor's Birthday
Kaitrin came over to DKH for lunch. We went out to LaLa Garden, the local mall, for sushi. When we got there, there were guys outside running a booth for children where you could shoot at a target while balancing on a bucking "horse". The prize was candy! So Kaitrin tried it and hilarity ensued. They also had a taiko drum up there for show, but of course I wanted to play it. So I did, and they were really surprised that I knew what I was doing.... that was fun! We had sushi and shopped for a bit, then left to meet up with Bryce in Ueno.
In Ueno we went to the national park there, and hit up the zoo. Animals in Japan know how to put on a show! They all came right up to the bars and looked at you and acted out... it was fantastic! I took a million pictures... most are on facebook, but I will make a picture post here later (after I finally do that homework that I am currently trying to ignore).
After the Zoo closed, we went out for dinner. While at dinner, the girls (not me, I was sitting with the boys somewhere different, most Japanese places can't handle large groups) starting chatting with some college boys sitting near them. They ended up inviting us all to go drinking. We agreed, but then they found out that the party they were going to was invitation only, and we weren't invited. Oh well, easy come, easy go. When just wandering around Shibuya, Mary runs into a friend of hers, and at the same time I run into two of mine from SAfro (choir). We end up forming two little conversation groups across the street from the station and talking for about an hour and a half. It was fun! That was it for Thursday...
Friday - not a holiday, but I made it one
Woke up and went on a bike ride with Mary and Meghann to pick up our alien registration cards. We got lost and went in a big circle, but it was a nice day, so we really didn't mind. We then went out for lunch. The rest of the day was just spent laying about and relaxing. It was much needed, and much appreciated.
Saturday
Woke up early and took the train with Bryce, Yong, and Pricilla to Yokohama. Yokohama is the 2nd largest city in Japan, is right next to the ocean, and was about an hour away to the main station. Once we got there we met up with Haga and some others from the social circle I joined at school. Then we rode the seaside train to Sea Paradise. That was quite an amazing aquarium! We walked through the aquarium, then saw a sea world esq sea mammal show, then went to the petting zoo (yes, at an aquarium), and finished it off by chilling out at dolphin fantasy. All in all it was a great day. We headed back to the main part of yokohama and got ramen and just hung out. Then it was back home.
Sunday
Kerry, Yong, and I went exploring Kawaguchi, the next city over from where we live. It was really pretty. We wandered aimlessly until we found these two cute guys performing on the street. We stopped to listen and they were REALLY good! All three of us bought an album, had them sign them, and took a picture with them. It was pretty great. They made their first American fans! That was pretty much it for that day, another lazy one...
Monday - Constitution Day
Monday we went to Ome and met up with Moeko in her home town for a Matsuri (festival). It was a celebration of the twelve villages of the city that are protected by this one Shinto Shrine. So there were vendors everywhere selling food and what not, but then there were these twelve floats that each had its own oni (demon) and taiko band. They were being pulled up and down the street doing a sort of battle of the band against one another. It was fantastic. But dangerous, I had to save an old lady half my size who got wrapped up in the giant roped used to pull the floats.
The strangest thing about the matsuri was the fact that clearly Ome is not used to foreigners. I was there with a lot of gaijin (foreigners) and we got a lot of double takes. But Meghann and I were getting blatant stares, pointing, people sneaking pictures of us when they thought we weren't looking, and even people coming up to the two of us asking to take our picture! We were more of a spectacle than the actual Matsuri for these people... it was surreal. I still don't know if I liked it or not....
After the matsuri we went to Moeko's house where her mom had created a Japanese feast for us. We all sat around the dinner table (it was a bit cramped) and talked about the cultural differences between us gaijin and the Japanese. It was really fun, and very interesting! We taught them american slang and they told us about Japanese stereotypes for americans. Apparently we eat hamburgers all day every day.
After dinner we went home together on the train. They were close to empty for a better part of the way, so there was a lot of dancing and climbing up onto luggage racks and what not. It was hilarious. That was definitely my 2nd favorite night of the week!
Tuesday - Greenery Day
Kerry and I met up with Bryce and Yong and we hit up the Tokyo Dome City amusement park. Roller coasters baby! Every ride was lots of fun. Waiting in line was also really fun. We played hand jive games and cards and were generally really giggly the entire time. We ended the night with a ride on a huge ferris wheel... priceless.
Then we met up with Pricilla and went for nomihodai (all you can drink). We ate and drank and played drinking games and sang Karaoke and danced. Our waiter (who was super cute) was drinking with us and the two other groups of two in the bar, so by the end of the night we were all just a giggling mass of bad singers belting out lady gaga and random Japanese songs at the top of our lungs.... Good times.
Then it was time to try and rush to catch last train home! Kerry, Yong and I didn't make it. So we took a taxi to Katrin's place and crashed there until the trains were running in the morning. Of course I don't sleep well (snoring keeps me up) and by the time we get home, I am on my 2nd wind and can't sleep anyways. I ended up taking a 3 hour nap or so today... so I am good to go for now.
Wednesday (today) - Children's day
Grocery shopping and homework.... I got school tomorrow!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Picture Time!!! - Part 4
So since all I have been doing really is going to school... I don't have much of anything to say. Here are a few pictures of random adventures after class and what not.
No one has class on wednesday afternoons, so one week we went to asakusa, and pretended to be tourists!
This is my main group of friends at DKH and Sophia... (from left to right: Kerry, Meghann, Mary, Yong). They are kind of amazing.
This is me waiting for a friend at Hachiko. Its a very iconic spot in a very busy location. Here is the story of hachiko, incase you aren't familer.
Samantha Thavasa is a popular Japanese brand... so my name is everywhere!
Lions pride all the way in Japan!!!
Apparently I had to go all the way to Japan to have more than one black friend in a group at once... This is me with my son and law and long lost sister. Also, I may be really short with them... but in Japan, I am average height!
That's all for now... But its Golden Week, which is a week long holiday. So there will be a big update of my escapades during this week sometime next week... lol
That's all for now... But its Golden Week, which is a week long holiday. So there will be a big update of my escapades during this week sometime next week... lol
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
