(no subject)
Wow, I did so much today, and I just might be too tired to write about it all, but I'll see how far I get!
The castle was Beautiful. We got there by taking a taxi, a train, and walking for 15 minutes. I'm very happy to report that it was hardly at all touristy. There was infornation available, and displays of some history and artifacts, but other than that, nothing flashy, nothing tourist trappy... not even a gift shop! Kudos to them for being awesome.
I took a bunch of pictures of course.. I really wanted to get one of the Sanada Shrine, (a Shinto shrine within the castle walls,) but Tatsuya said that was probably a bad idea.
After that, we walked to a mall where I bought an Ayumi Hamasaki CD. (3000 yen - $30 X_X) Had a lime soda, and waited around with Tatsuya for his mom to get off work at the book store, and practiced my Japanese some.
Then we went grocery shopping at a store called "Aeon." I bought my own pair of slippers, white with blue flowers, to wear around the house.
Still getting used to the whole shoe-switching thing. I knew about the taking off your shoes and putting on slippers when you first come in thing, but I didn't know you're also supposed to take off the slippers before entering a room with those weird woven floors.
But yes, now I have my own pretty Japanese slippers to take home with me.
Soon after getting back to the house, Haruka-san came home. I swear, she is the total Japanese teenage girl. Hyper and energetic, always saying "Sugoi!", cute things everywhere.. we chatted for awhile, exchanging English and Japanese words, and yeah, she's tons of fun. One of those people you just can't be unhappy around.
Then it was time for dinner! We had barbeque. They taght me a bunch of new vocabulary... ^^ Tatsuya's friend who studies English at the University of Nebraska came to visit. People made fun of me for how my name means 'plate' in Japanese... :P
I learned how NOT to pick up a piece of tofu with chopsticks...
Then we played with fireworks! Got lots of pictures of that. Firecrackers, and these can-shaped ones that you put on the ground and they spray a fountain of sparks...
Came inside and chatted for a bit, came online, and now here I am.
Since leaving Tokyo I've seen Zero other non-Japanese people, 4 or 5 people who could be considered slightly overweight, No one who looks all J-rocker-ish, and only a few Japanese school girls in uniform.
I guess that's all - I need sleep!
Oyasumi nasai!
The castle was Beautiful. We got there by taking a taxi, a train, and walking for 15 minutes. I'm very happy to report that it was hardly at all touristy. There was infornation available, and displays of some history and artifacts, but other than that, nothing flashy, nothing tourist trappy... not even a gift shop! Kudos to them for being awesome.
I took a bunch of pictures of course.. I really wanted to get one of the Sanada Shrine, (a Shinto shrine within the castle walls,) but Tatsuya said that was probably a bad idea.
After that, we walked to a mall where I bought an Ayumi Hamasaki CD. (3000 yen - $30 X_X) Had a lime soda, and waited around with Tatsuya for his mom to get off work at the book store, and practiced my Japanese some.
Then we went grocery shopping at a store called "Aeon." I bought my own pair of slippers, white with blue flowers, to wear around the house.
Still getting used to the whole shoe-switching thing. I knew about the taking off your shoes and putting on slippers when you first come in thing, but I didn't know you're also supposed to take off the slippers before entering a room with those weird woven floors.
But yes, now I have my own pretty Japanese slippers to take home with me.
Soon after getting back to the house, Haruka-san came home. I swear, she is the total Japanese teenage girl. Hyper and energetic, always saying "Sugoi!", cute things everywhere.. we chatted for awhile, exchanging English and Japanese words, and yeah, she's tons of fun. One of those people you just can't be unhappy around.
Then it was time for dinner! We had barbeque. They taght me a bunch of new vocabulary... ^^ Tatsuya's friend who studies English at the University of Nebraska came to visit. People made fun of me for how my name means 'plate' in Japanese... :P
I learned how NOT to pick up a piece of tofu with chopsticks...
Then we played with fireworks! Got lots of pictures of that. Firecrackers, and these can-shaped ones that you put on the ground and they spray a fountain of sparks...
Came inside and chatted for a bit, came online, and now here I am.
Since leaving Tokyo I've seen Zero other non-Japanese people, 4 or 5 people who could be considered slightly overweight, No one who looks all J-rocker-ish, and only a few Japanese school girls in uniform.
I guess that's all - I need sleep!
Oyasumi nasai!