Japan day 7: No longer alone at last!
2014/08/09
I'm typing this at home. I'm trying to remember most, if not all of what went down the past week. Thank God for pictures, it's easier to recall.
Tokyo Lesson # 57389394: NEVER EVER STEP OUT OF THE AIRPORT WITHOUT RENTING A POCKET WIFI.
ALTERNATIVELY, NEVER EVER EVER LEAVE HOME WITH AN INACTIVE INTERNATIONAL ROAMING, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE PLANNING TO MEET UP WITH SOMEONE. (Damn you, Globe, this was all your fault.)
Before checking out of Hanamiya Ryokan, I found out that Lyn will be arriving that morning. We agreed to meet at Ikebukuro station at around 11 AM, after which, we will go to Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture where we had reservations for the next two days. At that point, naaamoy ko na ang Rock in Japan Fest !!!
I woke up really early, because I planned on doing a quick visit to the Rikugien Gardens and to the Tokyo Tower (and maybe Akasaka Sacas) before seeing her. However, after packing my things, taking a bath, and laying out my itinerary for the morning, I went under the comforter again, and, yes, you got it right: I fell asleep once more. Pucha, I got to check out just in time (10 AM) So sabi ko, wala na, I need to be in Ikebukuro, baka naghihintay na si Lyn sa akin. With my backpack in tow, I immediately looked for a free wifi spot inside the station so I could ask where Lyn was. I found a spot near the SEIBU department store, and I sent her a message. Kaso nag auto correct, and instead of "Seibu" ang na-send sa kanya was "driving." So okay, wala pang reply, go around pa ng konti. After about 15 minutes, I decided to move to a different place.
Tumambay ako sa may plant boxes sa West exit (near the Becks Coffee branch I mentioned last post) because nagkasundo kami ni Lyn na magkikita sa may mga plant boxes near a mall. E dun yung alam kong plant boxes, so keri, tambay.
All of a sudden, this ojiisan approached me and started a conversation. He asked me if I was waiting for someone, sabi ko, yes, my friend is gonna arrive at any moment. So, chika chika chika, he told me he's been to the Philippines and that he's a pharmacist and that there are a lot of Filipinos in Ikebukuro, he's divorced and living alone, yadda yadda yadda. Then he invited me to lunch. Syempre pucha warning bells na, tang ina. That was around 12 NN, Lyn should be there any moment pero sabi pa ni kuya mga 1 hour pa ako maghihintay. I silently prayed na sana mali siya. So I declined and then he still wanted to have coffee. Sabi ko, no, because I'm sure my friend is also gonna be starving when she arrives, and I want to eat with her. He showed me his pharmacist business card, but I also found it odd that he's got another set of business cards na walang designation, because apparently, he can't give people (or at least he can't give me) the pharmacist business card, like wtf. Tapos biglang shet, he told me na he's hoping that I believe what he's been saying and that he's single, gentle, and honest and all that shit and then told me I was beautiful, PUTANG INA, KIMOCHI WARUI !!!!! Adik yun, 52 years old na s'ya halos sing tanda nya tatay ko hahaha. He wanted to meet again if I had the time (sa isip-isip ko, of course not!) Anyway, biglang nagmadali siyang umalis, yung feeling na parang tapos ka nang nakawan kaya umalis na siya, ganun. It was so weird and uncomfortable, I decided to leave and I went back inside the station to wait for Lyn.
I went back to the Seibu exit but then saw that there's really nowhere there that I could stay and wait with my bag, so I sent another message to Lyn (I stayed near Seibu exit near the Yurakucho Line, fortunately, the Free Metro Wifi reached where I was) na nasa mga lockers lang ako. I waited in the same spot maybe from 11 AM to 3:30 PM, because I figured that if I went out again, it's gonna be more difficult for us to see each other, like what if Lyn already arrived and I'll be really far and there's really no way to let her know where I was unless may free wifi, mga ganung stuff. Medyo nasayangan ako sa time pero at that point ang focus ko is yung magkita kami.
By that time I was running ridiculously low on phone juice. Nasa "connect your charger" phase na ako noon especially after turning my wifi on and off every 20 minutes or so. Around 3:30 I received a message from Lyn saying that she couldn't find Seibu driving and that she's at the JR Ticketing Office. Oh my lord, buti na lang nakabukas pa ako ulit ng wifi at nakapag-send pa ako ng short "Ok wait" when she told me to go there. I can't imagine what would have happened if my phone failed me that time...
So ayun na, the plane landed late pala, and the N'Ex was also late. Pero whatevs, huhu FINALLY, someone to talk to and get lost with! (Charot) We grabbed a quick dinner (we had to be on the Joban Line before 6 PM so we can catch Rurouni Kenshin) of lovely katsu (a la Yabu, complete with the sesame-seed grinding and unli-shredded cabbage) then boarded the train to Mito.
It was a two-hour trip. We got off the train mga 8:20-ish. Maryosep, ang atmosphere!! There were a lot of people wearing Rock in Japan goods at the station, na-excite ako pero sa sobrang pagod hindi halata, haha! Then I remembered missing out on Asian Kung-fu Generation that day, kaya it was really bittersweet (gumaganon?!)
We thought we won't make it in time for the last screening of Rurouni Kenshin for that day. We actually already gave up on it when I noticed that the cinema was just across (mere meters away from) the Mito Station. Niyaya ko si Lyn to check it out and they were still selling tickets! Ibig sabihin abot pa kami, hahaha! Lyn called the hotel to let them know we're going to check in at a later time while I bought our movie tickets. We actually made it, akalain mo !!! We left our baggage near the stairs inside the theater, tutal, we were half-sure no one will take them away (maybe no one will touch them, even. Oh, I love Japan because of this, really). When we sat down the first frames showed up and it was unbelievable.
Yung totoo: muntik ako makatulog eh. I guess that's what happens if there's a bit more dialogue and you can barely understand anything. Pa-isa isang words and thoughts lang, nakakaloka. My head was bobbing and I was so close to succumbing to sleep when all of a sudden, ACTION na. It was really good, I can't wait to watch it subbed (in two days!) and see if I figured out things correctly.
After the movie, we stayed for a bit more to take some photos of the movie posters and the cinema. We also saw some standees of Lupin III (all hail goddess Meisa) and posters of Yamapi's movie, Aiba & Toma's movie... even Doraemon (which was already showing by that time) When it looked like the cinema was already closing for the day, we went to the hotel. It was a fast check in, maybe because it was already past the regular check in hours and because we called earlier. We then went out again to buy some food for the night (it was already around 11 maybe? and the last meal we had was at around 5 PM) and some breakfast food. When we got back to the station, it was already closed and so the stores were also already closed. Even Starbucks was closed (they're open only until 22:00), so we had to settle for FamiMart. After eating a really late dinner, we went to sleep, because the next day we would Rock in Japan !! \ (^-^) /
.
I'm typing this at home. I'm trying to remember most, if not all of what went down the past week. Thank God for pictures, it's easier to recall.
Tokyo Lesson # 57389394: NEVER EVER STEP OUT OF THE AIRPORT WITHOUT RENTING A POCKET WIFI.
ALTERNATIVELY, NEVER EVER EVER LEAVE HOME WITH AN INACTIVE INTERNATIONAL ROAMING, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE PLANNING TO MEET UP WITH SOMEONE. (Damn you, Globe, this was all your fault.)
Before checking out of Hanamiya Ryokan, I found out that Lyn will be arriving that morning. We agreed to meet at Ikebukuro station at around 11 AM, after which, we will go to Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture where we had reservations for the next two days. At that point, naaamoy ko na ang Rock in Japan Fest !!!
I woke up really early, because I planned on doing a quick visit to the Rikugien Gardens and to the Tokyo Tower (and maybe Akasaka Sacas) before seeing her. However, after packing my things, taking a bath, and laying out my itinerary for the morning, I went under the comforter again, and, yes, you got it right: I fell asleep once more. Pucha, I got to check out just in time (10 AM) So sabi ko, wala na, I need to be in Ikebukuro, baka naghihintay na si Lyn sa akin. With my backpack in tow, I immediately looked for a free wifi spot inside the station so I could ask where Lyn was. I found a spot near the SEIBU department store, and I sent her a message. Kaso nag auto correct, and instead of "Seibu" ang na-send sa kanya was "driving." So okay, wala pang reply, go around pa ng konti. After about 15 minutes, I decided to move to a different place.
Tumambay ako sa may plant boxes sa West exit (near the Becks Coffee branch I mentioned last post) because nagkasundo kami ni Lyn na magkikita sa may mga plant boxes near a mall. E dun yung alam kong plant boxes, so keri, tambay.
All of a sudden, this ojiisan approached me and started a conversation. He asked me if I was waiting for someone, sabi ko, yes, my friend is gonna arrive at any moment. So, chika chika chika, he told me he's been to the Philippines and that he's a pharmacist and that there are a lot of Filipinos in Ikebukuro, he's divorced and living alone, yadda yadda yadda. Then he invited me to lunch. Syempre pucha warning bells na, tang ina. That was around 12 NN, Lyn should be there any moment pero sabi pa ni kuya mga 1 hour pa ako maghihintay. I silently prayed na sana mali siya. So I declined and then he still wanted to have coffee. Sabi ko, no, because I'm sure my friend is also gonna be starving when she arrives, and I want to eat with her. He showed me his pharmacist business card, but I also found it odd that he's got another set of business cards na walang designation, because apparently, he can't give people (or at least he can't give me) the pharmacist business card, like wtf. Tapos biglang shet, he told me na he's hoping that I believe what he's been saying and that he's single, gentle, and honest and all that shit and then told me I was beautiful, PUTANG INA, KIMOCHI WARUI !!!!! Adik yun, 52 years old na s'ya halos sing tanda nya tatay ko hahaha. He wanted to meet again if I had the time (sa isip-isip ko, of course not!) Anyway, biglang nagmadali siyang umalis, yung feeling na parang tapos ka nang nakawan kaya umalis na siya, ganun. It was so weird and uncomfortable, I decided to leave and I went back inside the station to wait for Lyn.
I went back to the Seibu exit but then saw that there's really nowhere there that I could stay and wait with my bag, so I sent another message to Lyn (I stayed near Seibu exit near the Yurakucho Line, fortunately, the Free Metro Wifi reached where I was) na nasa mga lockers lang ako. I waited in the same spot maybe from 11 AM to 3:30 PM, because I figured that if I went out again, it's gonna be more difficult for us to see each other, like what if Lyn already arrived and I'll be really far and there's really no way to let her know where I was unless may free wifi, mga ganung stuff. Medyo nasayangan ako sa time pero at that point ang focus ko is yung magkita kami.
By that time I was running ridiculously low on phone juice. Nasa "connect your charger" phase na ako noon especially after turning my wifi on and off every 20 minutes or so. Around 3:30 I received a message from Lyn saying that she couldn't find Seibu driving and that she's at the JR Ticketing Office. Oh my lord, buti na lang nakabukas pa ako ulit ng wifi at nakapag-send pa ako ng short "Ok wait" when she told me to go there. I can't imagine what would have happened if my phone failed me that time...
So ayun na, the plane landed late pala, and the N'Ex was also late. Pero whatevs, huhu FINALLY, someone to talk to and get lost with! (Charot) We grabbed a quick dinner (we had to be on the Joban Line before 6 PM so we can catch Rurouni Kenshin) of lovely katsu (a la Yabu, complete with the sesame-seed grinding and unli-shredded cabbage) then boarded the train to Mito.
It was a two-hour trip. We got off the train mga 8:20-ish. Maryosep, ang atmosphere!! There were a lot of people wearing Rock in Japan goods at the station, na-excite ako pero sa sobrang pagod hindi halata, haha! Then I remembered missing out on Asian Kung-fu Generation that day, kaya it was really bittersweet (gumaganon?!)
We thought we won't make it in time for the last screening of Rurouni Kenshin for that day. We actually already gave up on it when I noticed that the cinema was just across (mere meters away from) the Mito Station. Niyaya ko si Lyn to check it out and they were still selling tickets! Ibig sabihin abot pa kami, hahaha! Lyn called the hotel to let them know we're going to check in at a later time while I bought our movie tickets. We actually made it, akalain mo !!! We left our baggage near the stairs inside the theater, tutal, we were half-sure no one will take them away (maybe no one will touch them, even. Oh, I love Japan because of this, really). When we sat down the first frames showed up and it was unbelievable.
Yung totoo: muntik ako makatulog eh. I guess that's what happens if there's a bit more dialogue and you can barely understand anything. Pa-isa isang words and thoughts lang, nakakaloka. My head was bobbing and I was so close to succumbing to sleep when all of a sudden, ACTION na. It was really good, I can't wait to watch it subbed (in two days!) and see if I figured out things correctly.
After the movie, we stayed for a bit more to take some photos of the movie posters and the cinema. We also saw some standees of Lupin III (all hail goddess Meisa) and posters of Yamapi's movie, Aiba & Toma's movie... even Doraemon (which was already showing by that time) When it looked like the cinema was already closing for the day, we went to the hotel. It was a fast check in, maybe because it was already past the regular check in hours and because we called earlier. We then went out again to buy some food for the night (it was already around 11 maybe? and the last meal we had was at around 5 PM) and some breakfast food. When we got back to the station, it was already closed and so the stores were also already closed. Even Starbucks was closed (they're open only until 22:00), so we had to settle for FamiMart. After eating a really late dinner, we went to sleep, because the next day we would Rock in Japan !! \ (^-^) /
.