Successful day
Today I got everything done except closing my bank account. That'll be tomorrow. Also, I think I'm going to get off with even more money than I thought in my most recent calculation... because I'm only going to have to pay about 2,500 yen for the health insurance, well less than the 10,000 or so I was expecting from some bill-looking things I got pertaining to that a while back, and because I didn't pay the cell phone bill or whatever it was that was due Monday before cancelling the contract today, and they didn't make me pay anything, not even the 3,000 you're supposed to pay for cancelling a student discount plan before a year is up. I was expecting up to about 10,000 yen in payments there.
In the midst of all this I found time to head over to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (or whatever it is they call it in English, the 東京都庁 ) in Shinjuku and go up the observatories in each tower. They're on the 45th floor of each. It was a beautifully clear day for it, except that there were clouds over the mountains so Mt. Fuji wasn't visible. Figures. Going up I wondered if the observatories would remind me of how the observatory looked in the episode of Kodocha with the school trip to the Tochou, and sure enough! I think the one they went to in that episode was the south tower.... In another interesting thing, I spotted the Carrot Tower that is the landmark building rising up over the surrounding buildings in Sangenjaya (the place where I use the computers sometimes)... it's right by the station. And then I noticed that not only the Carrot Tower, but Sangenjaya itself were actually labeled on the picture showing what things you could see in that direction! Shibuya wasn't labeled! I was pleasantly suprised. It was pretty calming up there, just looking out over the sea of buildings in the afternoon. Not crowded like Tokyo Tower's observation deck either... that was during Golden Week though. Apparently Japanese people are as disappointed as I was at not being able to see Mt. Fuji... this one man and his wife were nearby and when they saw that you couldn't see it the man was like 「くっそー」 (Dammit!).
Ok, let me do other stuff. I need to try completely packing everything I want to take tonight to make SURE I don't need to mail a package back. Also it seems someone is interested in my TV, which I offered up for 500 yen. I'll be glad to get it off my hands if they'll take it.
In the midst of all this I found time to head over to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (or whatever it is they call it in English, the 東京都庁 ) in Shinjuku and go up the observatories in each tower. They're on the 45th floor of each. It was a beautifully clear day for it, except that there were clouds over the mountains so Mt. Fuji wasn't visible. Figures. Going up I wondered if the observatories would remind me of how the observatory looked in the episode of Kodocha with the school trip to the Tochou, and sure enough! I think the one they went to in that episode was the south tower.... In another interesting thing, I spotted the Carrot Tower that is the landmark building rising up over the surrounding buildings in Sangenjaya (the place where I use the computers sometimes)... it's right by the station. And then I noticed that not only the Carrot Tower, but Sangenjaya itself were actually labeled on the picture showing what things you could see in that direction! Shibuya wasn't labeled! I was pleasantly suprised. It was pretty calming up there, just looking out over the sea of buildings in the afternoon. Not crowded like Tokyo Tower's observation deck either... that was during Golden Week though. Apparently Japanese people are as disappointed as I was at not being able to see Mt. Fuji... this one man and his wife were nearby and when they saw that you couldn't see it the man was like 「くっそー」 (Dammit!).
Ok, let me do other stuff. I need to try completely packing everything I want to take tonight to make SURE I don't need to mail a package back. Also it seems someone is interested in my TV, which I offered up for 500 yen. I'll be glad to get it off my hands if they'll take it.