Japan 2010 - Day 1: Lost in translation

[japanesedream]

This will be a report of my usual standard, long & winding, often rambling, with many, many details, some interesting, some not (though hopefully more interesting than not). Those of you with whom I am friends on Facebook know that the odyssey began at least a month before my departure, with my eager countdown of daily Moi dix Mois clips, & -

Comments

[hee_glance]

Oof, so sorry that it has taken me so long to be able to read through these and comment on them! ^^; But here I am now.

Oh, travelling intimidates me somehow. It is amazing that you traversed all of that so.... well! I can't imagine what I would do, especially with something like being faced with massive amounts of stairs. XD I get so exhausted from carrying my luggage around.

Made some more notes. Found out where [info]hee_glance lives (we flew over it).

This is still funny to me. XD I find it interesting, actually, that you travel over the entire US rather than going the other way around. But I'm sure that they know what is best better than I do!

All of that in-flight food sounds amazing. You're making me hungry, haha. Was the quality of the meals good?

Ack, the maps are horrible. I was playing a Nancy Drew game set in Japan, and even navigating around the train lines on a computer was a nightmare - once again, I'm so proud of you for surviving! XD

Oh, is the D+SECT chronicle very good? I'm looking at buying it, but I wasn't sure how many photos are featured - since I don't speak Japanese. XD;;;

And~~~~ to finish this one off, I received your pins! Thank you so much darling, they are gorgeous. <3 I wear them to dance class all the time now, haha, they are perfect. So tight! O_O They work very well for my flyaways, better than the undecorated, non-Japanese, non-Marlene old ones that I gave up using long ago. Thank you so much!

[japanesedream]

Hi, sweetness! ^_^

No worries, I know you're a busy gal. I do appreciate your reading these &, of course, your comments!

Yeah, travel can definitely be indimidating. There are parts of it that still overwhelm me. But I think it's a case of, the more you do it, the more you learn how to handle it. I don't think I'll ever get used to lugging baggage up & down stairs, tho'. :P

It was pretty wild seeing your town come up on the in-flight map! I agree, it's odd that we have to go West to go East. Might be something to do with air currents - if we went in the other direction (straight East), we'd be pushing into them. I think that's the theory. Technically, it's not a straight line across the US - we kind of went up & over: NY state, Canada, Alaska, down over Russia (Siberia), China, & then into Japan.

LOL! Yeah, just thinking about it makes me hungry. XD It was pretty good, actually. Nothing gourmet or anything, but better than what you imagine when you think "airline food". :)

Those maps were nearly the death of me that first day! Thanks for being proud of me! XD I hope that game didn't make you cry, 'cuz standing in front of that map sure did it for me. :P It's really intimidating until you get used to it. Once you get the hang of it, it's actually not so bad. You'll read later that my friend was able to get me a train line map with Romaji place names, which was a BIG help.

It's a little thin for the price they were charging (2500 Yen), but
I really like D+Sect Chronicle (even tho' I can't read it XD) - the solo shots alone were worth it! Plus, I got it at the live, so that made it special to me. :) There are 2 (pretty sure it's 2 & not 3) double-page spreads of montage-style live photos, & then the solo shots & commentary. If you want to skip ahead quickly to my entry on the live, I posted the member pics: http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/391396.html

YAY!!! I'm so glad to hear you got them!! Aww, & that you like them so much & are using them!! :D You're very welcome; it's the least I could do. You were really supportive & encouraging when I was in a pretty low place, & I appreciate it. X3 Plus, I didn't know you when I made my last trip. XD This time around, most of the things I got were for my newer friends. :)

[hee_glance]

Ahh, I suppose that does make sense as a travel plan. Wait, is was actually my town? I thought that it was just Alaska!! Oh dear, now I feel completely laid bare. XDD That is just amazing.... So long as they got you there, right? I suppose New York might be more in the middle... so the flight time is probably pretty comparable going one way or the other, haha. Don't quote me on that. :P

Matter of fact, the game did make me cry.. but mostly out of fear, and not the maps haha. XDD (we always had cheet sheets for the maps when we needed them!!) Oh! Haha, looks like you got your cheet sheet, too! We're both in luck.

Ahh, alright! That does sound nice, I love MdM live photos. ^^;; I think I'll keep it in mind... if I ever have the extra money, haha. Since Mana's merchandise doesn't usually sell out very quickly.
http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/391396.html

Well since my plans to travel to Europe this summer fell through, I'll grab you something when I get to Anchorage! ^^ It will still be novel, since I will be new to the place as if I were travelling. (and just having gotten off the plane, you know... even if I am stepping into an apartment and not a hotel, I'm sure you'll get the same exotic feeling from it, right? ;P)

[japanesedream]

Yep, it was the same town as the one on your return address, on the envelope you'd sent the Xmas greeting in. ^_^ Maybe it was on the map 'cuz it's notable. Is it, like, the furthest point in the US or something? Seemed pretty far out at the end of the state.

I agree, as long as they got me there! XD You could be right about NY being in the middle. I never know the logistics of these things. :P

Aws, what a game that must've been to make you cry from fear! O.o But yes, looks like we both lucked out on the cheat-sheet front! ^_^

If you'd like me to post the live photo montages for you to preview, let me know; I took pics of those, too. Mana said the book sold out at the show, but it could still be ordered on-line. I just read that the new Moitie "stained glass" print sold out already, & those dresses are, like, $300! Where are these kids getting all this money??? I'm glad they only charged 2500 Yen for the book! XD

Sorry to hear the Europe plans have fallen through. But thanks! That's sweet of you~<333 And sure, I'd be able to appreciate the exoticness of it, even if it is an apartment & not a hotel. Y'know, it's amazing how even short distances can make a world of difference...the first time I went to NYC by myself (2007, on a dry-run before my 1st Dir en grey show), I walked out of the subway station in Times Square, & thought I'd stepped onto another planet! XD I'm only an hour away from NYC!

[hee_glance]

No, I don't think that it is the furthest point... there are a lot of small towns right by the ocean. ^^;; I think rather... that Bethel really a hub port for thousands of Villages - so even if it isn't very big itself, it represents a large part of bush Alaska. :P It does show up on most maps, though, crazily enough. Did you hear that Tom Cruise was here a few months ago to go fishing? XDD It was.. crazy, haha, you can only imagine how abuzz everyone was.

Ah... the game probably wasn't so bad, I cry easily. XDD;; (and I scare easily, actually....)

I'm pretty decided that I'll get the book, so I think I will wait to see the live photos. 6_6;; Thank you, though!!

I know what you mean!! O_O Moitie is so beautiful, but I can't afford a headdress much less a skirt. XDDD It is crazy... I know it is partially due to the American dollar (and not just that America is having such a difficult time, but that Japan is pretty prosperous....), but still!! It is crazy. Especially since they also buy his cds & merchandise. >-<; Maybe if I -only- followed Mana, I would have the cash for a dress, haha.

I can imagine how NYC can be a shocker, yes. XDD But Anchorage is supposed to be chock-full of culture, so I'll see what I can find for you!!

[japanesedream]

Ah, I see. Neat! ^_^ And no, I hadn't heard Tom Cruise was out there! That's pretty wild. I can only imagine the excitement that would generate.

Aww. <3 (Good thing you mentioned the scaring easily; should we one day meet in person, I'll remember not to show you any horror flicks - they're my fave. XD)

Groovy! I hope they're not charging an arm & a leg for it, but I'm sure you'll like it. As I say, the solo shots alone make it worth purchasing. :D And you're welcome. :)

Same here!! I think I might be able to buy a pair of socks, if I'm lucky & they're on sale. XD One of my friends knows of a website that sells Moitie a little bit cheaper, so you might pay 150 Yen instead of 300, but even that's a strain on the finances - esp., like you said, given that there are the CD's, DVD's, etc. to buy! And those certainly aren't cheap, either. XP I have no idea where the Japanese get their pricing skills, but music & video (as I'm sure you're aware) are WAY more expensive than they are here.

Agreed ~ if Mana were the only one we followed, we could prob'ly shell out once in a great while for a dress or coat or something. But there's too much great music coming out of that country!! XD

Yeah, the first time, it's definitely a shock. XD That's cool that there's lots of culture in Anchorage...is it kind of 'big-city' compared to Bethel's 'suburbs'? That's how NYC is compared to here. And again, thanks so much for looking for a lil' something for me! You're a sweetie. <333