Tour End
成田国際空港-02/28/2011
For those who either can’t read the kanji, or can’t SEE the kanji, that says “Narita Kokusai Kuukou” - Narita International Airport. I am constantly forgetting the word for Airport, which is frustrating, because it’s not a difficult word. I can’t double check, but I imagine it’s a near-direct translation: Sky-Port. At the very least I recognize the first kanji of the compound, and didn’t know it could be also read “Kuu” though I assume it is the Chinese reading. I’m here on time; which means I still have three hours to my flight time and I’m sitting at the gate on my laptop. The nice thing, is that it gives me a little time for shopping, and writing this blog and Maura was able to see me off at Tokyo Eki (東京駅) before she had to go to work.
I have to say that while I don’t want to say goodbye at all, I really am not that fond of long, drawn-out ones either. It’s better, and easier, to just leave. I did cry a little, but got over it pretty quick. It’s okay to be going back, I guess. Even though I’m sad and I already miss everyone and I miss the shows and…well…I don’t wanna go.
Anyway. So we got back into Tokyo yesterday around 1pm, and stopped in Takano to get some food at Gusto. I had a Hamburg Steak, (one of the MANY things I’m going to miss eating…) and then we got back to the apartment around 2. Considering that we left Sapporo at about 930pm, and didn’t get back to Tokyo till 1pm, you can see how long a trip it really is. Jess had emailed Maura on the way out of Sapporo, and we’d agreed to go for Yakiniku in Tokyo. So we hung out at the apartment for a couple hours, showered (oh my god it felt SO GOOD to be clean!) then I did my hair and makeup (and looked really cute) and we went out for food. It ended up being Me, Maura, Tonacey, Ryo, Jess and Mimu, and it was SO GOOD.
I think the total bill was a little expensive, but considering it was six people eating and drinking it wasn’t really that bad. I pay more for my steak lunch/dinners when I go out in Victoria, and I think good food is so totally worth it.
After that Mimu went home, so we saw him to the station and then Maura, Jess, Tonacey, Ryo and I went to Karaoke.
Anyone who’s ever seen me at the Karaoke bar back home knows I almost never sing, but it’s totally different here. I am So completely down with belting out my favorite songs in Japanese and English (or trying to) in a tiny little room with my friends. It’s not like other people can’t hear us-there have been several times we’ve heard people in the rooms around us-but it’s just so much fun. It can get pretty funny; at one point I cracked right up and doubled over, but caught my bridge piercing on my boot top and that…kind of hurt. But was still really funny. We paid for nomihoudai (all you can drink) and just chilled out for four hours. There are now several songs that I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to properly appreciate by the original artists; most notably L’arc~en~Ciel’s “Neo Universe” since Maura sings it almost every time we go, and I think to me it’s kind of like her song now. Along with Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady”, which she does fantastically.
We got Jess a bit drunk, which was funny, and I drank a lot but still ended up not drunk, which was fine with me. Doing Karaoke is teaching me to read faster, though I still have to rely on Furigana (the little hiragana/katakana) that sits above the kanji) since a LOT of them I can’t read.
I really like being able to do Japanese and English songs at Karaoke. Sadly a whole bunch of Japanese songs I know, I don’t know the lyrics for and they’re too fast for me to read and sing at the same time. And sometimes even the songs I actually KNOW confuse me if I try to read the furigana and I get confused and screw up. At one point, Jess was singing Malice Mizer, and Maura, Jess and I were dancing in the window and some guys across the street actually looked up, saw us, and so we waved, and they waved back and then they crossed the street and we were like “umm…we might have some guests…accidentally.”
But they never came up. It was pretty funny, still.
We headed back to the apartment, and Maura didn’t stay awake for very long. I was on the internet for a bit, and then went up to the loft to start packing and sleep.
Then we woke up, I packed the rest of my stuff up, and came here to the airport.
There are a couple things I can’t find though; like my labret stud. I bought a new corkscrew ring for my lip, and have NO IDEA where I put my labret stud, which was in the bag my ring came in. Also two little presents I got for my mom and sister. I’m sure they’re somewhere safe…which is why I took them out of my purse, right?
I hope I find them when I unpack everything.
The other thing that happened so far today…is the cold I’ve been fighting off for three weeks has nailed me right in the sinuses. I’m all leaky and sneeze-y and really really want some Buckley’s Liquid-Gels. I did find some Halls, but not the black ones, which are the only ones that really really work for me. Still, pink grapefruit halls are kind of yummy…
And it started raining. And snowing in some parts of the city.
Apparently Japan doesn’t want me to go either, because it was like 16 degrees and brilliantly sunny yesterday.
Well whatever. Flight leaves in about two hours, and I should be landing in Vancouver in about 11 hours.
Home….I don’t really know where that is anymore.
Also I think I’m gonna take the PCL from the Ferry. I have the money and it just seems…like a better idea. I can have a nap till we get to the Bus Terminal in Vic. I’ve gotten really good at sleeping on transportation….not so much local trains or the local busses back home, but like trains, or coach busses. I can totally nap.
Well guys, I’m gonna go …find a bathroom….and….sit down and maybe play some Star Ocean.
Much love from Narita,
Steffu
For those who either can’t read the kanji, or can’t SEE the kanji, that says “Narita Kokusai Kuukou” - Narita International Airport. I am constantly forgetting the word for Airport, which is frustrating, because it’s not a difficult word. I can’t double check, but I imagine it’s a near-direct translation: Sky-Port. At the very least I recognize the first kanji of the compound, and didn’t know it could be also read “Kuu” though I assume it is the Chinese reading. I’m here on time; which means I still have three hours to my flight time and I’m sitting at the gate on my laptop. The nice thing, is that it gives me a little time for shopping, and writing this blog and Maura was able to see me off at Tokyo Eki (東京駅) before she had to go to work.
I have to say that while I don’t want to say goodbye at all, I really am not that fond of long, drawn-out ones either. It’s better, and easier, to just leave. I did cry a little, but got over it pretty quick. It’s okay to be going back, I guess. Even though I’m sad and I already miss everyone and I miss the shows and…well…I don’t wanna go.
Anyway. So we got back into Tokyo yesterday around 1pm, and stopped in Takano to get some food at Gusto. I had a Hamburg Steak, (one of the MANY things I’m going to miss eating…) and then we got back to the apartment around 2. Considering that we left Sapporo at about 930pm, and didn’t get back to Tokyo till 1pm, you can see how long a trip it really is. Jess had emailed Maura on the way out of Sapporo, and we’d agreed to go for Yakiniku in Tokyo. So we hung out at the apartment for a couple hours, showered (oh my god it felt SO GOOD to be clean!) then I did my hair and makeup (and looked really cute) and we went out for food. It ended up being Me, Maura, Tonacey, Ryo, Jess and Mimu, and it was SO GOOD.
I think the total bill was a little expensive, but considering it was six people eating and drinking it wasn’t really that bad. I pay more for my steak lunch/dinners when I go out in Victoria, and I think good food is so totally worth it.
After that Mimu went home, so we saw him to the station and then Maura, Jess, Tonacey, Ryo and I went to Karaoke.
Anyone who’s ever seen me at the Karaoke bar back home knows I almost never sing, but it’s totally different here. I am So completely down with belting out my favorite songs in Japanese and English (or trying to) in a tiny little room with my friends. It’s not like other people can’t hear us-there have been several times we’ve heard people in the rooms around us-but it’s just so much fun. It can get pretty funny; at one point I cracked right up and doubled over, but caught my bridge piercing on my boot top and that…kind of hurt. But was still really funny. We paid for nomihoudai (all you can drink) and just chilled out for four hours. There are now several songs that I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to properly appreciate by the original artists; most notably L’arc~en~Ciel’s “Neo Universe” since Maura sings it almost every time we go, and I think to me it’s kind of like her song now. Along with Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady”, which she does fantastically.
We got Jess a bit drunk, which was funny, and I drank a lot but still ended up not drunk, which was fine with me. Doing Karaoke is teaching me to read faster, though I still have to rely on Furigana (the little hiragana/katakana) that sits above the kanji) since a LOT of them I can’t read.
I really like being able to do Japanese and English songs at Karaoke. Sadly a whole bunch of Japanese songs I know, I don’t know the lyrics for and they’re too fast for me to read and sing at the same time. And sometimes even the songs I actually KNOW confuse me if I try to read the furigana and I get confused and screw up. At one point, Jess was singing Malice Mizer, and Maura, Jess and I were dancing in the window and some guys across the street actually looked up, saw us, and so we waved, and they waved back and then they crossed the street and we were like “umm…we might have some guests…accidentally.”
But they never came up. It was pretty funny, still.
We headed back to the apartment, and Maura didn’t stay awake for very long. I was on the internet for a bit, and then went up to the loft to start packing and sleep.
Then we woke up, I packed the rest of my stuff up, and came here to the airport.
There are a couple things I can’t find though; like my labret stud. I bought a new corkscrew ring for my lip, and have NO IDEA where I put my labret stud, which was in the bag my ring came in. Also two little presents I got for my mom and sister. I’m sure they’re somewhere safe…which is why I took them out of my purse, right?
I hope I find them when I unpack everything.
The other thing that happened so far today…is the cold I’ve been fighting off for three weeks has nailed me right in the sinuses. I’m all leaky and sneeze-y and really really want some Buckley’s Liquid-Gels. I did find some Halls, but not the black ones, which are the only ones that really really work for me. Still, pink grapefruit halls are kind of yummy…
And it started raining. And snowing in some parts of the city.
Apparently Japan doesn’t want me to go either, because it was like 16 degrees and brilliantly sunny yesterday.
Well whatever. Flight leaves in about two hours, and I should be landing in Vancouver in about 11 hours.
Home….I don’t really know where that is anymore.
Also I think I’m gonna take the PCL from the Ferry. I have the money and it just seems…like a better idea. I can have a nap till we get to the Bus Terminal in Vic. I’ve gotten really good at sleeping on transportation….not so much local trains or the local busses back home, but like trains, or coach busses. I can totally nap.
Well guys, I’m gonna go …find a bathroom….and….sit down and maybe play some Star Ocean.
Much love from Narita,
Steffu