Meeting Mino-san
I met Mino-san in San Francisco on Monday! Mino-san is one of my mutual friends from Twitter. I initially followed her because I loved her art and I thought she was fun, from whatever tweets I was able to read. I didn't know enough Japanese to really speak to her, so I was pretty shy about talking to her. Imagine how shocked I was when she told me she would be visiting California and asked if she could meet me!
At first I told her it would be impossible, since she was visiting the Los Angeles area. When I told her I lived closer to San Francisco, she said she'd fly up there. Q_Q It was a wonderful opportunity I couldn't pass up. I asked Mino-san if my friend JoAnn (
squarebubblex) could join us, and she said yes!
I was sooo nervous on our train ride to SF. I don't think I really showed this side to JoAnn before. I mean, I wasn't sure how we would talk.. I didn't know what we would say, or how. I figured it'd be like, a mix of English and Japanese and maybe some Vietnamese too as a last resort (Mino-san apparently knew some!). -laugh- JoAnn said it'll be okay if it's me, and that we'd get along no problem, but I still couldn't help being nervous! JoAnn managed to read only part of the first chapter of Mob Psycho 100 (the series Mino-san and I really like and became friends through), but she ended up being really interested in Mino-san's Instagram and looked through it until we finally arrived in SF.
Then we met Mino-san at her hotel! As we started making our way to the bus that would take us to Pier 39, we talked a bit about her time in LA, Glee, cats, her trip to London, Martin Friedman.. JoAnn told Mino-san that she visited Japan twice for SHINee concerts, and then we had a brief discussion about music. Mino-san said she knew I liked idol music, which I was sort of surprised she brought it up. She said she knew I liked Kinki Kids and Tackey & Tsubasa's Imai Tsubasa. I laughed and said I liked them both, to which she confirmed with me, "As a set then." Yes, as a set, I said. XD I like them both but Tsubasa just happens to be my favorite.. I might have been a little embarrassed to say it. I feel bad!
In any case, as we made our way by bus to Pier 39 JoAnn suggested we get off at the Pier Building to see more things. We all agreed to do so (Mino-san said she liked walking and was okay with it!). At this point I think it was going really well! Mino-san seemed to really enjoy the scenery. (I mean, I did too, but Mino-san enjoying it is more important!) The weather was also beautiful so the sun shining and nice wind was really making for a great day. Pier Building was really nice on the inside! It was totally like an outdoor market.. There were nice quaint shops, and we saw the ice cream shop JoAnn told me she wanted to try some day, but the line was quite long.. We saw mushrooms (which Mino-san took a picture of!) and sampled honey and chocolate. Then we started walking along the road towards Pier 39.
We planned to eat, of course. Mino-san pointed at Bistro Boudin on her map, saying that place was very famous for its clam chowder so we decided on that. As we walked past all the piers (Assuming we saw 1, 2, 3... to get to 39 that'd be 30-something more to go!) we would stop and take in the view. We told Mino-san to just go ahead and stop whenever she wanted to take pictures. We wanted to make sure she was enjoying it all.
Bistro Boudin was actually at Fisherman's Wharf, so we had to pass through Pier 39 for that. Tulipmania was going on, but we only looked briefly at the flowers while passing. Once we got to the Boudin building, the most wonderful smell of bread welcomed us. JoAnn said that we could watch the bakers make bread through the window. Wonderful aroma aside, the bread was also amazing in that they looked like this...
Cute, right?!
As we stood in line to buy clam chowder for each of us, these spoons caught Mino-san's eye..
"Ritsu!" she exclaimed. I was so impressed she thought of that and laughed. She beckoned me to take one too and we took a picture.
Ritsu is a character in Mob Psycho 100 who is often portrayed with bent spoons. Why? Read and find out! .. It has to do with psychics!
The clam chowder was so good! As we ate we talked a bit more. We talked about what we were studying/studied, where we work, Mino-san's plans for tomorrow in SF for sightseeing on her own.. She had plans to hit up some coffee shops since she loves coffee. We thought that was very cool.
JoAnn had to leave for class, so we parted ways. After thanking her for joining us, Mino-san and I headed towards St. Hyde Pier. We boarded some ships on display, free of admission for President's Day.
It was nice! I enjoyed it too because I love seeing ships and the sea for some reason.. I loved stories about the sea as a kid.
Afterwards, we decided to take a break and headed back to Boudin where we... did Terutime?!
(Should I explain this? XD; Um, #terutime is a hashtag I use on Twitter whenever I draw Teru from MP100..)
OFMADKFELK SHE BROUGHT SO MANY GIFTS FROM HER AND OUR TWITTER FRIENDS.. I wasn't prepared for so much stuff from everyone!! Sumikawa-san, Uon-san, even Haruya-san.. I really didn't expect any of this! I mean, I only kind of guessed maybe Uon-san would have something for me, but I could only get so far looking at Twitter in Japanese @_@a Things went on behind the scenes. I told her that doujinshi and fanbooks don't really exist in America, so all these gifts were really, really special.
I only drew a few things to give Mino-san, but I definitely didn't do enough to give back to everyone. I'd like to be able to do so.. Q_Q I was really touched.. Everyone's messages were so nice and I was so happy!! I could really feel the love emanating from every one.
And then she brought out gifts from a friend of hers... Tackey & Tsubasa Fan Club bulletins, and two shop photos of Tsubasa. I was so SHOCKED when she brought them out. EEH?! How!? (I think I said 何で) because I KNEW you don't JUST get T&T FC bulletins!! She said her friend is in T&T's FC and wanted to pass these along to me. I couldn't believe it! If I didn't expect any of those gifts from before, I REALLY didn't expect T&T.. The reason being was that we are friends because of Mob Psycho 100, so T&T was the last thing I'd.. expect. She also presented me the MP100 prints she bought from Japan's 7-11 for me. I was looking forward to them, too. ♥
She then asked me if I knew about Tsubasa's play, to which I responded, "Playzone." She brought this out and my mind went blank.
Eh?! WHAT?! She said her friend accidentally bought two of these, so she was giving me the extra. I couldn't believe it!! I offered to pay - I wanted to pay.. It's been my DREAM to have something from Playzone... And here it was... I SERIOUSLY WANTED TO CRY.. It was too much! From Mino-san, from our mutual friends and now even from friends I haven't met.. I couldn't believe it. I felt so loved and I couldn't explain it or express it very well! But I was so happy, and that's for sure. I hope I could convey that feeling .. !
Here's everything I think I am allowed to share!!
I currently have the MP100 prints at my desk ♥ They're nice references because I draw these characters a lot. I'm going to have to admit I love the colors on Teru *_* I'm using it to help me when I draw him! (Which is a little often -laugh-)
*Actually, when Mino-san talked about Martin Friedman when we first greeted her, I was about to say how he had a feature in Tsubasa's cover of JULIE's 勝手にしやがれ.. But I didn't, 'cause I thought, why should I talk about idols? LOL But then we ended up talking about music at the bus transfer, and then she gave me these.. It's as if everything led up to this in the end. It's so funny!
After that wonderful Terutime we headed back towards her hotel since it was starting to get cold. We talked for a little bit before we walked to the BART for me to catch my train where we finally said our goodbyes. She told me to take care of Tsubasa (the Playzone pamphlet), and laughed because the pamphlet itself was bigger than the little backpack I brought with me. I said that EVERYTHING she gave me was a special treasure. I believe the last thing I said to her was...
本当にありがとうございます！！楽しかった！嬉しいです！
I said it so many times it might have lost its impact.. But really, I am truly grateful towards everyone. I was so happy and touched and moved that Mino-san wanted to meet me and that our friends passed along things they wanted me to have to her to give to me. I am also very grateful towards Joann for coming out with me despite having school that day. Friends are truly great things in this world!
At first I told her it would be impossible, since she was visiting the Los Angeles area. When I told her I lived closer to San Francisco, she said she'd fly up there. Q_Q It was a wonderful opportunity I couldn't pass up. I asked Mino-san if my friend JoAnn (
squarebubblex) could join us, and she said yes!
I was sooo nervous on our train ride to SF. I don't think I really showed this side to JoAnn before. I mean, I wasn't sure how we would talk.. I didn't know what we would say, or how. I figured it'd be like, a mix of English and Japanese and maybe some Vietnamese too as a last resort (Mino-san apparently knew some!). -laugh- JoAnn said it'll be okay if it's me, and that we'd get along no problem, but I still couldn't help being nervous! JoAnn managed to read only part of the first chapter of Mob Psycho 100 (the series Mino-san and I really like and became friends through), but she ended up being really interested in Mino-san's Instagram and looked through it until we finally arrived in SF.
Then we met Mino-san at her hotel! As we started making our way to the bus that would take us to Pier 39, we talked a bit about her time in LA, Glee, cats, her trip to London, Martin Friedman.. JoAnn told Mino-san that she visited Japan twice for SHINee concerts, and then we had a brief discussion about music. Mino-san said she knew I liked idol music, which I was sort of surprised she brought it up. She said she knew I liked Kinki Kids and Tackey & Tsubasa's Imai Tsubasa. I laughed and said I liked them both, to which she confirmed with me, "As a set then." Yes, as a set, I said. XD I like them both but Tsubasa just happens to be my favorite.. I might have been a little embarrassed to say it. I feel bad!
In any case, as we made our way by bus to Pier 39 JoAnn suggested we get off at the Pier Building to see more things. We all agreed to do so (Mino-san said she liked walking and was okay with it!). At this point I think it was going really well! Mino-san seemed to really enjoy the scenery. (I mean, I did too, but Mino-san enjoying it is more important!) The weather was also beautiful so the sun shining and nice wind was really making for a great day. Pier Building was really nice on the inside! It was totally like an outdoor market.. There were nice quaint shops, and we saw the ice cream shop JoAnn told me she wanted to try some day, but the line was quite long.. We saw mushrooms (which Mino-san took a picture of!) and sampled honey and chocolate. Then we started walking along the road towards Pier 39.
We planned to eat, of course. Mino-san pointed at Bistro Boudin on her map, saying that place was very famous for its clam chowder so we decided on that. As we walked past all the piers (Assuming we saw 1, 2, 3... to get to 39 that'd be 30-something more to go!) we would stop and take in the view. We told Mino-san to just go ahead and stop whenever she wanted to take pictures. We wanted to make sure she was enjoying it all.
Bistro Boudin was actually at Fisherman's Wharf, so we had to pass through Pier 39 for that. Tulipmania was going on, but we only looked briefly at the flowers while passing. Once we got to the Boudin building, the most wonderful smell of bread welcomed us. JoAnn said that we could watch the bakers make bread through the window. Wonderful aroma aside, the bread was also amazing in that they looked like this...
Cute, right?!
As we stood in line to buy clam chowder for each of us, these spoons caught Mino-san's eye..
"Ritsu!" she exclaimed. I was so impressed she thought of that and laughed. She beckoned me to take one too and we took a picture.
Ritsu is a character in Mob Psycho 100 who is often portrayed with bent spoons. Why? Read and find out! .. It has to do with psychics!
The clam chowder was so good! As we ate we talked a bit more. We talked about what we were studying/studied, where we work, Mino-san's plans for tomorrow in SF for sightseeing on her own.. She had plans to hit up some coffee shops since she loves coffee. We thought that was very cool.
JoAnn had to leave for class, so we parted ways. After thanking her for joining us, Mino-san and I headed towards St. Hyde Pier. We boarded some ships on display, free of admission for President's Day.
It was nice! I enjoyed it too because I love seeing ships and the sea for some reason.. I loved stories about the sea as a kid.
Afterwards, we decided to take a break and headed back to Boudin where we... did Terutime?!
(Should I explain this? XD; Um, #terutime is a hashtag I use on Twitter whenever I draw Teru from MP100..)
OFMADKFELK SHE BROUGHT SO MANY GIFTS FROM HER AND OUR TWITTER FRIENDS.. I wasn't prepared for so much stuff from everyone!! Sumikawa-san, Uon-san, even Haruya-san.. I really didn't expect any of this! I mean, I only kind of guessed maybe Uon-san would have something for me, but I could only get so far looking at Twitter in Japanese @_@a Things went on behind the scenes. I told her that doujinshi and fanbooks don't really exist in America, so all these gifts were really, really special.
I only drew a few things to give Mino-san, but I definitely didn't do enough to give back to everyone. I'd like to be able to do so.. Q_Q I was really touched.. Everyone's messages were so nice and I was so happy!! I could really feel the love emanating from every one.
And then she brought out gifts from a friend of hers... Tackey & Tsubasa Fan Club bulletins, and two shop photos of Tsubasa. I was so SHOCKED when she brought them out. EEH?! How!? (I think I said 何で) because I KNEW you don't JUST get T&T FC bulletins!! She said her friend is in T&T's FC and wanted to pass these along to me. I couldn't believe it! If I didn't expect any of those gifts from before, I REALLY didn't expect T&T.. The reason being was that we are friends because of Mob Psycho 100, so T&T was the last thing I'd.. expect. She also presented me the MP100 prints she bought from Japan's 7-11 for me. I was looking forward to them, too. ♥
She then asked me if I knew about Tsubasa's play, to which I responded, "Playzone." She brought this out and my mind went blank.
Eh?! WHAT?! She said her friend accidentally bought two of these, so she was giving me the extra. I couldn't believe it!! I offered to pay - I wanted to pay.. It's been my DREAM to have something from Playzone... And here it was... I SERIOUSLY WANTED TO CRY.. It was too much! From Mino-san, from our mutual friends and now even from friends I haven't met.. I couldn't believe it. I felt so loved and I couldn't explain it or express it very well! But I was so happy, and that's for sure. I hope I could convey that feeling .. !
Here's everything I think I am allowed to share!!
I currently have the MP100 prints at my desk ♥ They're nice references because I draw these characters a lot. I'm going to have to admit I love the colors on Teru *_* I'm using it to help me when I draw him! (Which is a little often -laugh-)
*Actually, when Mino-san talked about Martin Friedman when we first greeted her, I was about to say how he had a feature in Tsubasa's cover of JULIE's 勝手にしやがれ.. But I didn't, 'cause I thought, why should I talk about idols? LOL But then we ended up talking about music at the bus transfer, and then she gave me these.. It's as if everything led up to this in the end. It's so funny!
After that wonderful Terutime we headed back towards her hotel since it was starting to get cold. We talked for a little bit before we walked to the BART for me to catch my train where we finally said our goodbyes. She told me to take care of Tsubasa (the Playzone pamphlet), and laughed because the pamphlet itself was bigger than the little backpack I brought with me. I said that EVERYTHING she gave me was a special treasure. I believe the last thing I said to her was...
本当にありがとうございます！！楽しかった！嬉しいです！
I said it so many times it might have lost its impact.. But really, I am truly grateful towards everyone. I was so happy and touched and moved that Mino-san wanted to meet me and that our friends passed along things they wanted me to have to her to give to me. I am also very grateful towards Joann for coming out with me despite having school that day. Friends are truly great things in this world!