8/18-19 (Tues-Wed): Miyama and Swallowtail Cafe
8/18 (Tuesday)
Woke up at 9am to get stuff ready for the trip to Gifu. Headed out at the same time as Yoshi at 10am.
I took the Shinkansen Hikari 511 to Nagoya from Shinagawa, and then took the JR Rapid from Nagoya to Gifu station. (Let me just say, it's much nicer to get a reserved seat with the JR Rail Pass than it is to do unreserved seating; just go to the Ticket Window, show them the pass, and tell them which train you want for which day and time. They'll check for availability.) From there, I took a bus to Yamagata City City Hall. Had a meeting with Ono-san at 3pm to do some final paperwork so that I could redesignate her as my tax representative to get the tax refund portion of my pension refund. I asked her to transfer the money to Yoshi when she gets it so that it won't cost me 6,000 yen in wire transfer to America later.
After City Hall, I met up with Ran who lives just nearby the City Hall. She's just about 2 months pregnant now, so she's taking it easy - using a parasol to protect herself from the sun, moving slowly so she doesn't get motion sickness, covering up her mouth and nose with a face mask so she doesn't get sick. She's afraid to take any medication in case it might affect her baby.
She stuck around with me until my bus at 5:08pm, which I took back to Gifu City. I was originally going to visit Miyama JHS, but it was too late in terms of catching buses back and forth. The buses leaving Miyama for the city stop so early!
I checked into the Comfort Hotel Gifu by the station, and then went to the Animate there to buy some manga, along with going to Sanseido in the station for some additional manga that I couldn't find at that Animate. Also got some summery stationery (windchimes and goldfish art).
Since I couldn't see anyone else, I did some email exchanges with Honami and Yui. I couldn't reach Akari for some reason. Honami's working part-time at a place that's like a ryokan. Yui went to Osaka to check out a university there (they're already 2nd years in high school, so it's almost time for university!).
8/19 (Wednesday)
To make it to Miyama JHS and back on time, I had to head out early, so I checked out of the hotel at 6:30am without having breakfast. I did buy something to drink and eat at the conbini just downstairs of the hotel though. I took a taxi from in front of the hotel to Miyama JHS, and the taxi driver asked me where I was from, and talked to me about the construction going on with the school.
I got there at 7:30am, which was about 30 minutes too early, apparently. People started showing up around 8am, so I got ac couple pics of the construction before they showed up.
Part of the new gymnasium (left), part of the new school building (right)
Another section of the new school building (background), awning of old school building (foreground)
Yoshida-Sensei also linked me to the progress site of the renovation of Miyama JHS:
http://www.usami.co.jp/miyama/report.php
It looks like it's going to be so nice! I hope to go back and see it again when it's done. *o*
At school, I saw 8 teachers: Wakai-Sensei, Yazaki-Sensei, the principal, Yoshida-Sensei, the newer Social Studies teacher who came just before I left (I don't remember his name right now...), Komori-Sensei, Mihara-Sensei, and the newer music teacher (agh.. her name eludes me at the moment, too. She's 5 months pregnant!). And also a few students. The students were surprised that I was there.
Wakai-Sensei asked me to check over some papers for her, because she had the City English summer workshop the following day. I did some editing and type up some lines for her when she explained what she wanted to say to people in English. Got her stuff done a lot faster that way. XD; Afterwards, it was time for me to go, so she drove me to the bus stop. And then she drove back with Mori-Sensei to see me off just before the bus came! LOL. Mori-Sensei said that Wakai-Sensei drove very "maniacally" to get her there to see me off.
At Gifu station, I bought some omiyage for people back in Tokyo (particularly Yoshi's co-workers and Yoshi's relatives). Then I took a train to Nagoya, and a Shinkansen back to Tokyo.
Ayli, Febby, and Rune decided to go to Nikko, so Ayli called me about canceling our Swallowtail reservation that day, but then she got pandarosi and kuriuskat to fill in.
In the particular car of the train I was riding in, there was a team of basketball players, mostly consisting of African-Americans (there were a couple Caucasians, and a few Japanese, too). On a bunch of their duffel bags, the logo said "AND1 Basketball". The Japanese guy next to me was online looking at a site that read "Tokyo 19th National All Day Tournament", so I guess that's what they were partaking in. My poor ears... if only I could have blocked out the English, but some of them were really loud. The first half of their conversation was about basketball players... and then the second half was about more vulgar things, and what they would do for big amounts of money (like editing a gay porno or reaching into a shoulder-deep bag of guy parts to get a check at the bottom...). D=
When I got to Tokyo, I went to Ikebukuro, put my stuff in a coin locker, and went to Swallowtail Cafe to wait for pandarosi and kuriuskat. pandarosi called me saying that kuriuskat hadn't shown up at the station yet, so I went downstairs alone to tell the guy with the reservation book our situation (including that Ayli, the one who made the reservation, couldn't make it...). Ultimately, they canceled Ayli's reservation for 4 people, re-booked it under my name for 3 people, and didn't charge anything extra.
Just under the K-Books doujinshi shop, there's a sign for Swallowtail Cafe, along with the different reservation times, and whether or not they're filled or not (all of them were booked)
Just left of the time slots thing, there is a steep stairway that leads down to the cafe
When we were all there, they showed us in. In the first room, there are two people who take your bags, and lead you to your table, while telling you to watch your step a few times. They put your bags in baskets next to the table and cover the top of the baskets with cloth. While walking you through the place, all the butlers say "お帰りなさい" (Okaerinasai).
The cafe was much bigger than Edelstein (it could fit 4 Edelstein Cafes!), and very posh with two chandeliers, ivy, monogrammed napkins, white curtains separators, lots of fake flowers, and wall lights (something like this or this).
Our footman and server was called Tachibana. We got the explanation of the menu, and then, were given hot towels to wipe our hands.
I got the Oriens (sweets dish with banana ice cream and rusk, strawberry-lemon cake, jasmine tea jelly and something else..) with Camomile German tea, pandarosi got Tropics, and kuriuskat got Jean Valjean. For service, you have to ring a small brass bell. You can't refill your own tea, you have to ring for them to pour it for you. About 20 minutes before time was up, they came and gave us the bill and brought our bags so we could get our wallets. After that, they put the bags back in the basket, and we have the rest of the 20 minutes to finish up. And then when it's time to go, they use the preselected phrase (we had chosen "お出掛けのお時間でございます" (Odekake no ojikan de gozaimasu). They lead us back to the first room we entered. I think as we exit, the butlers say "いってらしゃいませ" (Itterashaimase).
After the cafe, we went to Animate, and did a little shopping. I said bye to them in the store because I probably was doing a bit of shopping. Then, I met up with Yoshi for dinner, and we went to Pasta-ya. After dinner, Yoshi went back to work, and I went back to the apartment, did a little cleaning, showered, and fell asleep while waiting for him to come back.
Woke up at 9am to get stuff ready for the trip to Gifu. Headed out at the same time as Yoshi at 10am.
I took the Shinkansen Hikari 511 to Nagoya from Shinagawa, and then took the JR Rapid from Nagoya to Gifu station. (Let me just say, it's much nicer to get a reserved seat with the JR Rail Pass than it is to do unreserved seating; just go to the Ticket Window, show them the pass, and tell them which train you want for which day and time. They'll check for availability.) From there, I took a bus to Yamagata City City Hall. Had a meeting with Ono-san at 3pm to do some final paperwork so that I could redesignate her as my tax representative to get the tax refund portion of my pension refund. I asked her to transfer the money to Yoshi when she gets it so that it won't cost me 6,000 yen in wire transfer to America later.
After City Hall, I met up with Ran who lives just nearby the City Hall. She's just about 2 months pregnant now, so she's taking it easy - using a parasol to protect herself from the sun, moving slowly so she doesn't get motion sickness, covering up her mouth and nose with a face mask so she doesn't get sick. She's afraid to take any medication in case it might affect her baby.
She stuck around with me until my bus at 5:08pm, which I took back to Gifu City. I was originally going to visit Miyama JHS, but it was too late in terms of catching buses back and forth. The buses leaving Miyama for the city stop so early!
I checked into the Comfort Hotel Gifu by the station, and then went to the Animate there to buy some manga, along with going to Sanseido in the station for some additional manga that I couldn't find at that Animate. Also got some summery stationery (windchimes and goldfish art).
Since I couldn't see anyone else, I did some email exchanges with Honami and Yui. I couldn't reach Akari for some reason. Honami's working part-time at a place that's like a ryokan. Yui went to Osaka to check out a university there (they're already 2nd years in high school, so it's almost time for university!).
8/19 (Wednesday)
To make it to Miyama JHS and back on time, I had to head out early, so I checked out of the hotel at 6:30am without having breakfast. I did buy something to drink and eat at the conbini just downstairs of the hotel though. I took a taxi from in front of the hotel to Miyama JHS, and the taxi driver asked me where I was from, and talked to me about the construction going on with the school.
I got there at 7:30am, which was about 30 minutes too early, apparently. People started showing up around 8am, so I got ac couple pics of the construction before they showed up.
Part of the new gymnasium (left), part of the new school building (right)
Another section of the new school building (background), awning of old school building (foreground)
Yoshida-Sensei also linked me to the progress site of the renovation of Miyama JHS:
http://www.usami.co.jp/miyama/report.php
It looks like it's going to be so nice! I hope to go back and see it again when it's done. *o*
At school, I saw 8 teachers: Wakai-Sensei, Yazaki-Sensei, the principal, Yoshida-Sensei, the newer Social Studies teacher who came just before I left (I don't remember his name right now...), Komori-Sensei, Mihara-Sensei, and the newer music teacher (agh.. her name eludes me at the moment, too. She's 5 months pregnant!). And also a few students. The students were surprised that I was there.
Wakai-Sensei asked me to check over some papers for her, because she had the City English summer workshop the following day. I did some editing and type up some lines for her when she explained what she wanted to say to people in English. Got her stuff done a lot faster that way. XD; Afterwards, it was time for me to go, so she drove me to the bus stop. And then she drove back with Mori-Sensei to see me off just before the bus came! LOL. Mori-Sensei said that Wakai-Sensei drove very "maniacally" to get her there to see me off.
At Gifu station, I bought some omiyage for people back in Tokyo (particularly Yoshi's co-workers and Yoshi's relatives). Then I took a train to Nagoya, and a Shinkansen back to Tokyo.
Ayli, Febby, and Rune decided to go to Nikko, so Ayli called me about canceling our Swallowtail reservation that day, but then she got pandarosi and kuriuskat to fill in.
In the particular car of the train I was riding in, there was a team of basketball players, mostly consisting of African-Americans (there were a couple Caucasians, and a few Japanese, too). On a bunch of their duffel bags, the logo said "AND1 Basketball". The Japanese guy next to me was online looking at a site that read "Tokyo 19th National All Day Tournament", so I guess that's what they were partaking in. My poor ears... if only I could have blocked out the English, but some of them were really loud. The first half of their conversation was about basketball players... and then the second half was about more vulgar things, and what they would do for big amounts of money (like editing a gay porno or reaching into a shoulder-deep bag of guy parts to get a check at the bottom...). D=
When I got to Tokyo, I went to Ikebukuro, put my stuff in a coin locker, and went to Swallowtail Cafe to wait for pandarosi and kuriuskat. pandarosi called me saying that kuriuskat hadn't shown up at the station yet, so I went downstairs alone to tell the guy with the reservation book our situation (including that Ayli, the one who made the reservation, couldn't make it...). Ultimately, they canceled Ayli's reservation for 4 people, re-booked it under my name for 3 people, and didn't charge anything extra.
Just under the K-Books doujinshi shop, there's a sign for Swallowtail Cafe, along with the different reservation times, and whether or not they're filled or not (all of them were booked)
Just left of the time slots thing, there is a steep stairway that leads down to the cafe
When we were all there, they showed us in. In the first room, there are two people who take your bags, and lead you to your table, while telling you to watch your step a few times. They put your bags in baskets next to the table and cover the top of the baskets with cloth. While walking you through the place, all the butlers say "お帰りなさい" (Okaerinasai).
The cafe was much bigger than Edelstein (it could fit 4 Edelstein Cafes!), and very posh with two chandeliers, ivy, monogrammed napkins, white curtains separators, lots of fake flowers, and wall lights (something like this or this).
Our footman and server was called Tachibana. We got the explanation of the menu, and then, were given hot towels to wipe our hands.
I got the Oriens (sweets dish with banana ice cream and rusk, strawberry-lemon cake, jasmine tea jelly and something else..) with Camomile German tea, pandarosi got Tropics, and kuriuskat got Jean Valjean. For service, you have to ring a small brass bell. You can't refill your own tea, you have to ring for them to pour it for you. About 20 minutes before time was up, they came and gave us the bill and brought our bags so we could get our wallets. After that, they put the bags back in the basket, and we have the rest of the 20 minutes to finish up. And then when it's time to go, they use the preselected phrase (we had chosen "お出掛けのお時間でございます" (Odekake no ojikan de gozaimasu). They lead us back to the first room we entered. I think as we exit, the butlers say "いってらしゃいませ" (Itterashaimase).
After the cafe, we went to Animate, and did a little shopping. I said bye to them in the store because I probably was doing a bit of shopping. Then, I met up with Yoshi for dinner, and we went to Pasta-ya. After dinner, Yoshi went back to work, and I went back to the apartment, did a little cleaning, showered, and fell asleep while waiting for him to come back.