FIRST DAY IN JAPAN
Current time and Location: Japan, Tokyo International Hostel @ Ramla, Iikebashi
820am (1120pm in the States) 5th Jan 2011 Wednesday
I checked the internet speed, and it's a freaking 11++ Mps!!! it's like a 5-6 times faster than the speed in my school O_O even the upload speed is amazingly fast, around the same speed as the download, so (ﾟoﾟ;;
I'm up really early, though it's likely because of the jet lag haha. I woke up around 4am at first but decided that if i don't go back to sleep, I'm gonna be screwed~ I'm intending to head to Asakusa Shrine today since they say it's one of the must see places around, and also because tomorrow's... ALICE NINE'S FIRST BUDOUKAN PERFORMANCE and even though it's lame, I kind of want to pray for their success and hope everything goes well >^< Shou, Saga and Hiroto have been twittering about rehearsals and stuff so I really hope everything goes well for them, and they've been working so hard lately, so hope they are still in good health >^< and I hope Tora's illness didn't get worse during this busy period~ and speaking of which, I should really start thinking up of the messages I want to send to each of them haha
anyway, today's already Wednesday, though i've somewhat lost track of time. I reached Japan yesterday at 3pm but I reached the hostel only at around 7pm ORZ....I still can't handle Japan's transportation system, worse of all, I'm still not that confident in my Japanese speaking skills, so I don't have much courage to ask someone and then be able to understand the answer they give me orz....the hostel's in Iidebashi which is not a major station in the JR line so i had to transfer from Tokyo station....and that's the big problem...I DON'T KNOW HOW TO >^< that's sounds really stupid, but I really have no idea where to get a ticket to get to that station...i bought a ticket initially, but after I board that train, I realized that that train does not take me to that station...it takes me to the end of the line....and i spent 500yen on it...orz...but considering the taxi fare after that I guess it's still better to get off. Honestly I don't know if my instincts were right, if the train really takes you only to the end of the line, but looking at the information they give and the amazingly good facilities of the train (comfortable sits, nice windows, u know the kind of train that looks like they will take you really far away ...) so before the train leaves, I managed to get off...all my senses were telling me to...and the guy sitting beside me was like...wtf is this lady doing leaving the train with a suitcase haha...
I gave up trying to find the way to get to my hotel by train so i took a taxi...i nearly couldn't find the place to board a taxi, or rather because I was concerned about cultural and practice difference I was very unsure on how to act...but an ojisan helped me out so I'm really thankful for that...actually there were quite a number of people who were kind of concerned about how this asian foreigner me is holding out and I'm really grateful for all that, though regretably I feel like I wasn't able to return their feelings equally >^< But anyway, I finally reached the hostel, though I feel like it was trouble after trouble because I couldn't really find the elevator to the 18th floor where the hostel is...but somehow or other, i managed to get to the place orz...
the hotel stuff speaks really good english! I was really tired by then so i totally gave up in trying to pretend to be Japanese and spoke english right away -_- so checking in was smooth. but come to think of it, if u're asian, and u're in an asian country, Japan now this matter, u probably look Japanese anyway...I wonder if that's a good or bad thing...but if I'm caucasian or whatever, I'm really going to stick out like a sore thumb and even if i know japanese, people prob won't think i speak it right lol~ whatever of that rambling...next
the hostel facilities were better than expected~ having wireless is a plus already cos i thought there won't be. though one problem I'm facing now is charging my com...i need to buy an adapter cos i forgot to back in the states...so I need to use the com REALLY wisely now...which also means I won't be able to check out any last minute Japanese grammar and all that I should know...
I really like the hostel by the way, because for the cost (about 20k yen for 6 nights), i thought it was really worth it. it's a 8-ppl dorm with bunked beds and lockers and some tables and chairs. but the beds were so good! nothing like the ones i had in new york. I sleep on the top bunk and even if i move on the top, the bottom doesnt shake much so it really makes me safer. plus they had curtains around each bed for some bed privacy which was really considerate lol. bathroom facilities were pretty good as well, though i'm not used to public bathing haha. but the shower room's good enough with lots of space. only problem is that they don't have a peg to put clothes..the showering practise is slightly different as well. they probably have "saving water" in mind when they show lol. because they give you a chair and a bowl for you to contain the water and then pour over yourself. also the water from the tap doesn't run continuously so i guess it's really water-saving ~ the toilets were amazingly clean as well...so much so that I don't want to let a single hair fall on the ground...the toilet seats and bowl are kinda like works of technology lol...they have the legendary butt cleaning function and warm seats! i should have taken a picture of it, maybe I wil after that lol XD I'm probably gonna enjoy my stay here XD
people here are mostly japanese, but the wireless area was filled with europeans, probably french or german and one ABC i think~ so koreans were there as well
anyway, after showering I head out for dinner~ I thought I'll hang around a bit as well
first meal of the day: Curry-Udon set! 499 yen~ there are some other shops I wanted to go to but sometimes it's kinda scary to go to a place where it's filled with salarymen after work >^< the curry tastes good though prob not the best. the udon's quite plain but the noodle texture was really good. it's wakame udon, (for my reference)
some pictures from my hostel:
the sunrise from my room window~@nearly 7am
it's probably hard to see, but i was trying to take Fujisama at the far end...i'm not sure if it's Fuji-san or not, but it's a mountain where Tokyo can see so I'm assuming it's Fujisama? (￣▽￣)
weather's warm here^^ at least compared to Wisconsin's bitter winter at -20degreeC...here's still positive! even if it reached negative, I prob won't mind so long it's not below -5 XD my treshold of a cold winter has changed drastically after living in Wisconsin for more than a year lol.
It was a pretty hectic day yesterday but from now on, I'll be travelling around and trying not to get lost haha. I still don't really know what I want to do, but today I;m heading to asakusa and Nippon Budoukan for recree, just so i don't get lost tomorrow haha. I'll be there by afternoon probably, and I'm SO LOOKING FORWARD TO IT XDDD hope i can get my ticket safely and hope everything goes well for me as well >^< I kinda regret not learning the lyrics for their songs a little earlier but anyway, I'll just rock away tomorrow XDD and it's already 9am here~
Time for breakfast!
820am (1120pm in the States) 5th Jan 2011 Wednesday
I checked the internet speed, and it's a freaking 11++ Mps!!! it's like a 5-6 times faster than the speed in my school O_O even the upload speed is amazingly fast, around the same speed as the download, so (ﾟoﾟ;;
I'm up really early, though it's likely because of the jet lag haha. I woke up around 4am at first but decided that if i don't go back to sleep, I'm gonna be screwed~ I'm intending to head to Asakusa Shrine today since they say it's one of the must see places around, and also because tomorrow's... ALICE NINE'S FIRST BUDOUKAN PERFORMANCE and even though it's lame, I kind of want to pray for their success and hope everything goes well >^< Shou, Saga and Hiroto have been twittering about rehearsals and stuff so I really hope everything goes well for them, and they've been working so hard lately, so hope they are still in good health >^< and I hope Tora's illness didn't get worse during this busy period~ and speaking of which, I should really start thinking up of the messages I want to send to each of them haha
anyway, today's already Wednesday, though i've somewhat lost track of time. I reached Japan yesterday at 3pm but I reached the hostel only at around 7pm ORZ....I still can't handle Japan's transportation system, worse of all, I'm still not that confident in my Japanese speaking skills, so I don't have much courage to ask someone and then be able to understand the answer they give me orz....the hostel's in Iidebashi which is not a major station in the JR line so i had to transfer from Tokyo station....and that's the big problem...I DON'T KNOW HOW TO >^< that's sounds really stupid, but I really have no idea where to get a ticket to get to that station...i bought a ticket initially, but after I board that train, I realized that that train does not take me to that station...it takes me to the end of the line....and i spent 500yen on it...orz...but considering the taxi fare after that I guess it's still better to get off. Honestly I don't know if my instincts were right, if the train really takes you only to the end of the line, but looking at the information they give and the amazingly good facilities of the train (comfortable sits, nice windows, u know the kind of train that looks like they will take you really far away ...) so before the train leaves, I managed to get off...all my senses were telling me to...and the guy sitting beside me was like...wtf is this lady doing leaving the train with a suitcase haha...
I gave up trying to find the way to get to my hotel by train so i took a taxi...i nearly couldn't find the place to board a taxi, or rather because I was concerned about cultural and practice difference I was very unsure on how to act...but an ojisan helped me out so I'm really thankful for that...actually there were quite a number of people who were kind of concerned about how this asian foreigner me is holding out and I'm really grateful for all that, though regretably I feel like I wasn't able to return their feelings equally >^< But anyway, I finally reached the hostel, though I feel like it was trouble after trouble because I couldn't really find the elevator to the 18th floor where the hostel is...but somehow or other, i managed to get to the place orz...
the hotel stuff speaks really good english! I was really tired by then so i totally gave up in trying to pretend to be Japanese and spoke english right away -_- so checking in was smooth. but come to think of it, if u're asian, and u're in an asian country, Japan now this matter, u probably look Japanese anyway...I wonder if that's a good or bad thing...but if I'm caucasian or whatever, I'm really going to stick out like a sore thumb and even if i know japanese, people prob won't think i speak it right lol~ whatever of that rambling...next
the hostel facilities were better than expected~ having wireless is a plus already cos i thought there won't be. though one problem I'm facing now is charging my com...i need to buy an adapter cos i forgot to back in the states...so I need to use the com REALLY wisely now...which also means I won't be able to check out any last minute Japanese grammar and all that I should know...
I really like the hostel by the way, because for the cost (about 20k yen for 6 nights), i thought it was really worth it. it's a 8-ppl dorm with bunked beds and lockers and some tables and chairs. but the beds were so good! nothing like the ones i had in new york. I sleep on the top bunk and even if i move on the top, the bottom doesnt shake much so it really makes me safer. plus they had curtains around each bed for some bed privacy which was really considerate lol. bathroom facilities were pretty good as well, though i'm not used to public bathing haha. but the shower room's good enough with lots of space. only problem is that they don't have a peg to put clothes..the showering practise is slightly different as well. they probably have "saving water" in mind when they show lol. because they give you a chair and a bowl for you to contain the water and then pour over yourself. also the water from the tap doesn't run continuously so i guess it's really water-saving ~ the toilets were amazingly clean as well...so much so that I don't want to let a single hair fall on the ground...the toilet seats and bowl are kinda like works of technology lol...they have the legendary butt cleaning function and warm seats! i should have taken a picture of it, maybe I wil after that lol XD I'm probably gonna enjoy my stay here XD
people here are mostly japanese, but the wireless area was filled with europeans, probably french or german and one ABC i think~ so koreans were there as well
anyway, after showering I head out for dinner~ I thought I'll hang around a bit as well
first meal of the day: Curry-Udon set! 499 yen~ there are some other shops I wanted to go to but sometimes it's kinda scary to go to a place where it's filled with salarymen after work >^< the curry tastes good though prob not the best. the udon's quite plain but the noodle texture was really good. it's wakame udon, (for my reference)
some pictures from my hostel:
the sunrise from my room window~@nearly 7am
it's probably hard to see, but i was trying to take Fujisama at the far end...i'm not sure if it's Fuji-san or not, but it's a mountain where Tokyo can see so I'm assuming it's Fujisama? (￣▽￣)
weather's warm here^^ at least compared to Wisconsin's bitter winter at -20degreeC...here's still positive! even if it reached negative, I prob won't mind so long it's not below -5 XD my treshold of a cold winter has changed drastically after living in Wisconsin for more than a year lol.
It was a pretty hectic day yesterday but from now on, I'll be travelling around and trying not to get lost haha. I still don't really know what I want to do, but today I;m heading to asakusa and Nippon Budoukan for recree, just so i don't get lost tomorrow haha. I'll be there by afternoon probably, and I'm SO LOOKING FORWARD TO IT XDDD hope i can get my ticket safely and hope everything goes well for me as well >^< I kinda regret not learning the lyrics for their songs a little earlier but anyway, I'll just rock away tomorrow XDD and it's already 9am here~
Time for breakfast!