Home and quick recap
Texas is hot. When I left Japan, it was about 55 degrees. Austin is 85. Woo D:
The flight back from Japan was significantly better than the one to Japan, for two reasons:
1. It is 4 hours shorter.
2. The planes gets it food from Japan.
It was my last chance to drink Japanese milk and juice, and I took full advantage of it. I really wish there was a way that I could get Japanese milk in America. It's really that much better. The bread, too-- white bread in Japan is so incredibly delicious. Oh well, I guess that means I have to go back soon?
My trip was made significantly more awesome by the combined efforts of Athena, Brian, and Debra; the former two acted as more than gracious hosts; it was so nice to see Debra, an old school friend again. Brian went above and beyond the call of duty by lending me his spare cell phone mobile for the last two weeks that I was in town. I believe it had $100 worth of talk time, of which I used the entire thing :x Luckily (!!) it ran out the morning I had to give it back, when I was playing phone tag between the three arranging the day's activities. I am somewhat baffled as to how I could use that much time on a cell phone; apparently I talk too damn much. Anyhow, much thanks and appreciation also go out to his mother, who treated us three strange girls to a 7-course dinner at a fancy hotel owned by the Navy. She gifted us with a box of Godiva at the end, which was also super nice. Hanging with Brian was also fun, especially since our first excursion together was through a typhoon (no, literally). I still have to write about that day. It was amazing. I'm still in wonder as to how he has the guts to meet all the people in the film and comic industry that he has. I'm so intimidated by even minor celebrity. He also has a swanky pad (which, as weird as it feels to say it, I hope he'll be able to move out of and into Fussa as soon as he can, if the job at Yokota pans out. Ganbare!)
Athena, of course, went all out and had to do the amazing Alice in Wonderland restaurant when we first got together, and she also snagged tickets for the Ghibli Museum for us. She and Brian also made sure that I didn't drop all my cash on train/subway fares, and for that I am ever so thankful. My second trip to Harajuku will forever be immortalized with her because, you know what? It takes years. Case closed. ...Savages! Her sense of humor trips me out. She also knows the most fun places to hang out and eat-- she introduced me to Chococro, amazing ice cream in Yokohama, amazing cake on the west side, and Namja Town. She also knows style like no other-- she's got a sharp eye for brands and seasons of what the girls are wearing. It's quite amazing.
Hanging out with Debra brought back old memories, but I have to say that I was slightly taken aback when we met in Shinjuku-- I didn't even recognize her since she ditched her old glasses for contacts and grew out her hair to ponytail length. I felt so unglamorous standing next to her as she was dolled up and so adorable. I envy her closet (and her figure...) We had fun in Shibuya, rolling our eyes at the blonde and pointy-shoed cogal/ganguro/Twiggy-esque shopgirls. Oh man, and raiding the cheap jewelry stores in Takeshitadoori? Hello yes :3
In summary: the family stuff was nice-- I got to reconnect with aunts and uncles I hadn't seen since I was very young. My grandmother is doing okay (all things considered)-- she is at home with one of my uncles and he takes good care of her. Her health is, well, stable at best, but then again she is 92 so really, that's sort of how things go when you're that old. The friend stuff was fun-- it has me addicted to Tokyo like nothing else. I always thought that I'd go there, like it, and be done with it for a while, but I really would like to make plans to go back in the near future. It's just that amazing. I also need to get out of Tokyo and go to other parts of Japan; I am especially curious about the Kansai region.
Anyway, details later. I just wanted to quickly thank everyone who made my trip amazing. You guys are really the best :3
The flight back from Japan was significantly better than the one to Japan, for two reasons:
1. It is 4 hours shorter.
2. The planes gets it food from Japan.
It was my last chance to drink Japanese milk and juice, and I took full advantage of it. I really wish there was a way that I could get Japanese milk in America. It's really that much better. The bread, too-- white bread in Japan is so incredibly delicious. Oh well, I guess that means I have to go back soon?
My trip was made significantly more awesome by the combined efforts of Athena, Brian, and Debra; the former two acted as more than gracious hosts; it was so nice to see Debra, an old school friend again. Brian went above and beyond the call of duty by lending me his spare cell phone mobile for the last two weeks that I was in town. I believe it had $100 worth of talk time, of which I used the entire thing :x Luckily (!!) it ran out the morning I had to give it back, when I was playing phone tag between the three arranging the day's activities. I am somewhat baffled as to how I could use that much time on a cell phone; apparently I talk too damn much. Anyhow, much thanks and appreciation also go out to his mother, who treated us three strange girls to a 7-course dinner at a fancy hotel owned by the Navy. She gifted us with a box of Godiva at the end, which was also super nice. Hanging with Brian was also fun, especially since our first excursion together was through a typhoon (no, literally). I still have to write about that day. It was amazing. I'm still in wonder as to how he has the guts to meet all the people in the film and comic industry that he has. I'm so intimidated by even minor celebrity. He also has a swanky pad (which, as weird as it feels to say it, I hope he'll be able to move out of and into Fussa as soon as he can, if the job at Yokota pans out. Ganbare!)
Athena, of course, went all out and had to do the amazing Alice in Wonderland restaurant when we first got together, and she also snagged tickets for the Ghibli Museum for us. She and Brian also made sure that I didn't drop all my cash on train/subway fares, and for that I am ever so thankful. My second trip to Harajuku will forever be immortalized with her because, you know what? It takes years. Case closed. ...Savages! Her sense of humor trips me out. She also knows the most fun places to hang out and eat-- she introduced me to Chococro, amazing ice cream in Yokohama, amazing cake on the west side, and Namja Town. She also knows style like no other-- she's got a sharp eye for brands and seasons of what the girls are wearing. It's quite amazing.
Hanging out with Debra brought back old memories, but I have to say that I was slightly taken aback when we met in Shinjuku-- I didn't even recognize her since she ditched her old glasses for contacts and grew out her hair to ponytail length. I felt so unglamorous standing next to her as she was dolled up and so adorable. I envy her closet (and her figure...) We had fun in Shibuya, rolling our eyes at the blonde and pointy-shoed cogal/ganguro/Twiggy-esque shopgirls. Oh man, and raiding the cheap jewelry stores in Takeshitadoori? Hello yes :3
In summary: the family stuff was nice-- I got to reconnect with aunts and uncles I hadn't seen since I was very young. My grandmother is doing okay (all things considered)-- she is at home with one of my uncles and he takes good care of her. Her health is, well, stable at best, but then again she is 92 so really, that's sort of how things go when you're that old. The friend stuff was fun-- it has me addicted to Tokyo like nothing else. I always thought that I'd go there, like it, and be done with it for a while, but I really would like to make plans to go back in the near future. It's just that amazing. I also need to get out of Tokyo and go to other parts of Japan; I am especially curious about the Kansai region.
Anyway, details later. I just wanted to quickly thank everyone who made my trip amazing. You guys are really the best :3