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Sunday

I woke up in a strange bed. It was mine.

Alive and kicking around 6:15ish, I unpacked completely, did laundry, updated computers... normal Sunday morning activities. Cheerios and 1% milk for breakfast, cranberry juice. My dead-end street was completely silent for hours.

Maybe I won't feel this way in a few days, weeks. Life will revolve back to a familiar spin, and the town, the responsibilities will be completely acceptable. School and music should return, too.

The distance between myself and that strange land has become farther than when I first set foot in JFK. It's farther than when I arrived in Narita, heavy with jetlag and uncertainty.

Unfortunately, I can't stop thinking about it. I can't stop saying "sumimasen" or "arigatou", either. When can I go back, my thoughts echo. When can I afford it again... anything... how can I do this again... can I go to Kyoto next time? What about Mt. Takao again... maybe even Kudan to see who's still taking classes... it's like I can't be "done" with Japan. There's so much to it, so many places and expressions, and I want to learn about it for forever. I mean that.

The class I had, ototoi, it can't happen again. It's nearly impossible, in the least, and we all have lives to move on and forward to. It's gone, but I still haven't quite let go. Maybe it's something I can keep with me for... for the rest of my time.

I'm grateful for this journal, for writing and taking pictures of everything that happened, for being able to share it with friends (and not yet friends). I hope you, trusty reader, have enjoyed it, and maybe learned something interesting along the way. If not, thank you for just giving it a read.

Feel free to return to the average journal-stalking over at http://www.livejournal.com/users/barisaxgirljen. If you have any questions or anything, feel free to drop a comment on that journal, IM me, or what have you. I'd love to be of assistance, if I can be.

You can also see a short bio about me on the WorldLink Education - Japan page:
http://www.wle-japan.com/wle-newsletter/2005_summer.html#s8

Until my return, someday... Sayonara, minna-san! Ki o tsukete!

Tuesday-youbi (J-p?)

Tuesday-youbi

Dinner was this great pancake-coleslaw thing called okataki, I think. I ate so much, though, that my body still hasn't worked it all off as of yet. Instead, I've been e-mailing and browsing through my stuff like whoa, and got a package together to send home. It's a hefty 7 kilos, but it has all of the free literature I've amassed along with my Spanish sandals that I only used, oh, TWICE here, because I can't walk in them for long distances anymore, and there are special sandals for being inside the house, anyways. On the plus side, if I see cute, small sandals, I just might grab them... but it's gonna be expensive.

Sadly, in my travels, I lost my "You're a Genius!" bag, with my 1 liter of frozen water. It was torn and fighting for life as it was - I really beat it up this time - so perhaps it's better off resting in a gutter in Akihabara... SPEAKING OF WHICH, I GOT 3 MAD SNES CARTRIDGES! YAY! Chris is always fun to be with, and James was a laugh - he bought really cool stuff to sell on eBay. Profitable, but I think it takes more time than I'd like. If was here for the long-term, though, I'd be all over that. I just wonder how he does it without export fees and whatnot. Since I sent about 7 kilos out, I'm debating buying more cartridges... but NO, I don't have the time or money to go back to Akiba! Get a hold of yourself! Just 'cause you lust for the Super Scope... but it doesn't even fit anywhere! Gaaaaaaaaaaah! Stupid clothes, I brought too many. I'd send them back, but I need them the following week for school and all that. I mean, whatever. Not like I wanted to wear my cute black dress for clubbing... but then again, my Swedish friends said it wasn't much fun unless you drank lots of beer and were in fact drunk, so forget that.

Today, my conversation partner was so much fun to chat with! She's very calm and thoughtful, and I love asking tough questions. We could both tell how much more confident I'd become over two weeks, and I felt confident, even when I couldn't express myself. That's freakin' cool, man. Tomorrow, she's offered to take me to the science museum in Ueno, to which I said HELLS YES, because I'd get to check out happy science things AND spend more time with her, so who am I to let that slip by? Nada, baby!

Also, Megumi bought fireworks for us to play with tomorrow after dinner! I can't wait, I've honestly never had a chance to mess with them, and that makes me sad...

But I'm more saddened by the realization that time is running up, and so many things will pass... and then... what? What's left, man? "America made", not "America ni kaerimasu"...

An Eleventh-Floor Balcony

Nichi-youbi

I didn't go out today, but in another way, it was my last day to stay in. I rested up, drank Asahi beer left over from the evening before, and worked on some posts. My computer is glutted - a bad situation, if you will. I can't burn CDs, so I must catch up and ship out. Anyway, such things are trivial. There's something strange about having beer in the morning, though... like I'm skipping some vital go-betweens, and I'm naughty for taking a shot or two before any food. It doesn't bother me physically all that much, but when I think back to friends that made a stink about drinking around noon, I felt silly. Out here, it's not a big deal if you take a drink - hell, I buy my drinks at the Hyaku-en-ya of Tokyo, for what it's worth. I guess there's no harm in drinking when you're most likely not going to, our even have the means to, drive.

This evening was very calm, serene, and peaceful, as was the day. I think most people would say "boooooring", but it wasn't for me. I woke up, turned on the computer, and finished my post for yesterday, took a shower, had my last Sunday brunch (eggs and ham and fried rice... ooooh...), and then returned to more typing. I was thinking about going to the park, but decided against it in favor of the posts, since I know my memory bites, and there is much left unfinished. I was going to sort through and throw out some papers, but nay, for the posts beckoned me onward. Anyway, aside from my procrastination, I reflected on things.

When I step out on to Megumi's eleventh-floor balcony, I always get swept away by the night, the expanse of people that goes beyond the horizon to the center of Tokyo, and how the specks of light that dab each doorway seem to work, harmoniously, into beautiful patterns of Japan. It's a sight I can never photograph quite right, but I can't get over it, either. I'm at a loss, always, when I look out, and think that, perhaps, this will pass, this beauty will not be seen again... and then I have wild, irrational thoughts of coming back, trying to get any job, anywhere, just to live here, in all of this congested city life, these fascinating people, incomprehensible tastes... I've been here for over a month, but still, I hunger for it. I wonder if I'll ever be satisfied with this place... perhaps not.

In another way, I think of my home country differently. There are many things I appreciate now, and I worry that, when I return, that the newfound understandings I have here will slowly turn back to a fully-Western mindset... and are forgotten in a heavy-headed, egocentric, homogeneous-CNN-filtered view of this planet. When I meet people from so many places and have, in my face, someone who feels that their way of life is just as strong as mine, I can't help but feel I've been looking through a narrow tube up until now. News, Internet, books, international pop music, all of these things can't open you like just going. Even those I've spoken with over Skype or AIM, from all over... it can't compare to going to school, having your country represented as a minority in class. At our school, Americans are definitely a minority, especially in the more advanced classes. We're just, quite frankly, not that well educated on average, and I want to go home and slap some Congressman or whoever around to get language education up to speed. The Swedes I met, for example, on average know about three or four languages. Hotsa knows five. I know, with Japanese, maybe three. I know English, I now speak a bit of Japanese, and I still remember bits of Latin academically, but hell, where can someone go with such a lack of practically? Logic blames my schools before it realizes that the heavy hand of America, slapping down whoever challenges it in any arena, does not have the mindset of compromise as all non-English-speaking countries have learned to compromise to us. In Japan, I don't have to know nihongo - most working professionals can speak a bit of it, even if just passably. Feasibly, I could get by with basic phrases, but even so, I don't think it's right. It feels chauvinistic, selfish even, to go to a foreign country with demands to speak your own tongue and be understood in someone else's home.

For that, I really appreciate all of the foreign students that have come through the same schools as I, knowing English as a second or third language aside from their mother-tongue. Thank you, for what it's worth. I'm sorry we can't extend the same kindness to you as you all, so often, do for us.

I really like Japanese, even though my English speaking has actually slowed down a bit. Isn't that funny? Initially, I felt guilt taking English books from the library to read for the subways, but now... it's like keeping my balance. The manga I've purchased, I think, will also serve as a balance when I am surrounded by English again. I am a little disappointed that I didn't learn to write with an emphasis on stroke order and learning for, like, writing properly for a nihon-jin to read, but I'll keep working on it anyway. Coming out here has been a true start for these studies... for I think...

I will study Japanese for the rest of my life, really. And... I don't mind.

What to do...

Do-youbi (Futari! SUGOI!)

Another eaten post, but I still have my cold one, so I think I'll manage survival.

I went, first, to the library. I forgot to call ANA about the porter service (drat!), but I was blissfully unaware and continued to be so for the rest of the day. I got a Portuguese-ian novel for this last week... I'll probably gobble it up in a few days, most likely. I really adore the Chiyoda library, and I'll be quite sad when I have to return my CDs/book for the last time. I should figure out a way to say "this is my last time here, you've all been awesome, I hope to see you again someday". Will do, because the selection is better than any of the libraries I've been in the US, and the staff was kind enough to help me with my card, as well as getting cards for two of my friends.

We went to Ryogoku (Asakusa area) today to the Tokyo-Edo Museum. It was very thorough, with tons of displays and art that were really informative and interesting. I took pictures like it was my last day on Earth. I'm posting, so get ready (they're even in chronological order! Be impressed!):

What really grabbed me was the World War II section. It's bad enough that it's the anniversary of Hiroshima today, but no one seemed exceptionally worked up about the fact, which surprised me very much. There was a display that, in layers of red LEDs, showed Tokyo and where the damage was done, air raid by air raid. They also played an audio loop of a plane humming above... and it was a wee bit much. I did my best not to show it, I didn't know what was appropriate. I made the realization, though, that on that map of Tokyo... there was my school, my Kitanamoru Park, my Jimbocho... in red. I would've been dead, back then. But people were dead, are dead. [Personal rant, please pardon if offended: It's stuff like this that makes me abhor the military. It's not a rational judgment - there are always fighters, it seems, but the way militaries are so often manipulated for political means that freakin' kill people... end their lives, justly or not, by earthly judgments by earthly humans, just riles me. Did those people really have to die? Did we have to invade? The western history books are apt to nod, smile, and usher me forward, but I can't help staring at the mess we made while leaving another to clean up.]

With my new composer-buddy, we went off to Yoyogi Koen to chat it up a bit. The photo of one of the water spouts looks like fire, doesn't it? ;) It's a very nice park, and there were tons of street musicians, including a drumming group, practicing and sharing their music. I really enjoy Harajuku when the street musicians are out. However, there have been a dearth of the gothic lolita-chicks that I so wanted to see IRL, but perhaps that'll change at some point in my travels.

On the way back, there were, again, random summer fireworks. I could even see them from outside of the station! That's crazy, man! Sadly, from Megumi's apartment, we weren't oriented in the right direction, and missed the finale. :/


My new housemate arrived today! I think she's a bit tired, but she's very nice and has a thing for Anime. It's cool to be the "experienced" one - I was talking to Kazuko, Megumi's mom, and holding my own in conversation about my day, with stuff like times and what I did. Megumi was stunned, it was much fun.

We lucked out with some crazy cheap Calpis, and we had it mixed with water... and this stuff is wild. I wish I could take some back with me, but I can't even take sake with me at this point... so no. :/ But it tastes really good! Maybe Wegman's has it.

I was going to go to Fujisan tomorrow, but decided against it because I want to be home for dinner, and I want to have time to enjoy something awesome like that. Chris was going to go tomorrow if I wanted, and that makes him cooler. We went to Yoyogi Koen and chatted it up for a few hours. It's cool to have new friends, ne? And from so many places, too! Traveling abroad is highly recommended! :)

Kanoshii...

Do-youbi

This morning, they were having a fantastic meeting at the Peace Park in Hiroshima because today is the anniversary of... Hiroshima.

It feels very awkward being here at this time. I don't know what to say, or if there is anything to say. Perhaps it's best to be quiet today.

Furaidei! (J-ip)

Nan-youbi desu ka?

I booked it out of class pretty fast today, 'cause I wanted to go to Shibuya, find the Yamaha store, and then walk up to Harajuku to check out the Gothic Lolita-types, and the shops on Takeshita-dori. Well, I certainly did check out the shops, but by the time I got back, it seemed like they were closing up the park for the evening. Slightly bummed by the lack of crazy goth chicks (OK, it's hot, I can understand not wanting to get the outfit out. I feel for you, ladies.), I was cheered up by MiK, a random J-rock startup band that was playing fo FREE-shizzle outside of the Harajuku station towards the Meiji-? end. They were awesome, but my camera died just as they went on. I made
up for it by getting autographs from the band, who were all totally cool and like, "Why do you want my signature?". It was very Japanese and attractive all-round. What really impressed me about their group was the chick doing beat-box stuff rather than using a drum set - she has mad talent for doing what she does orally. (I'm sorry, it's bad, but I couldn't help it.) Really, though, that beatbox stuff is hard to do for, like, a whole song, as drumset subsitute.

Anyway, before that, I went around Shibuya - totally in the right direction, too, INSTINCTIVELY (mad skills - no map-checking), but then turned down an alley, away from the main drag, and end up in Doguma--, which happens to be, oh-so-ironically, the center of all sexual activity in Shibuya. Mad per-hour hotels, shops, you name it, and I just turned right into it. I'm glad that I don't blush at the stuff anymore, but I was surprised by how close it was to the main drag. There was also a Shinto shrine, out of nowhere, at a corner of the area... that took me by surprise more than the dirty shops. However, I did NOT see any vending machines with panties - that would've made the diversion totally worth it, I think.

It's good to clean like a mofo from time to time. Ima, I'm trying to do a practice-run of packing everything up - or at least everything save some of my clothes, but that's all guesstimatable. It's looking OK for now, but I'm not done with The Heavy, so we'll see! In the worst case, though, I just need to go through the paper stuff and weed it out, becuase the free pamphlets I've acquired so far take up about 7 kilos. That's a LOT of paper, ne? Perhaps I'll sort it down to 6 anyway, for my own health going through Narita! -_-

OH DEAR, the dry run has totalled off at, without clothes, 31 kilos. O_o Time to sort through the papers, ne? Maybe I'll go through the sax case and toss some reeds, for good measure. (who knows what will make the difference now!) At least I've purchased many awesome things now, so my shopping is pretty much up. I think I'll shop for my Mom in Narita, so I'll just carry it around (PLUS, Duty-Free baby!)

My new housemate arrives tomorrow. I'll be off with WorldLink checking out a museum (in Sumida-ku, across from Asakusa I think), so I won't be back until later. I bought this top for Kimmy on sale in Shinjuku, but it looks cute... and I'm thinking of wearing it myself (I already tried it on once) and it's TOTEMO KAWAII!!1!, but I do have my own dark tops that I haven't worn, so the temptation is being let go. (this time!)

I've never leaned back on my bed with the realization that it was like when I fall asleep on the subway, but without pillows... an odd sensation of your head's weight falling back, resigning to gravity, but with a rough cushion, maybe the window, at your assitance.

I think I need to make a list of "Stuff That Americans Should Know About Japan That Absolutely No One Will Tell You Otherwise". It'd have nifty points like:

• Eastern style toilets CAN be comfortable. It takes practice, though.
• Bathrooms often don't have paper towels. (This leads into the next point:)
  
• Bring tissues with you at all times.
• Falling asleep on the subway is normal. To be able to get the seat to sleep during commuter hours is a sign of experience, which leads to the zen-like state of napping while being perfectly alert to when your stop is announced.
• Standing is for everybody. Sitting is for customers. It you want to sit, find a food place, but otherwise, it's to the park or subway for you!
• In Japan, there are hardly any public trash cans. If there are, they're usually near konbini (convenience stores) or the subway and train stations. If you walk and eat, be prepared to tow your trash along with you until a suitable time.
• Littering is like selling you soul to demons while children watch in horror. Don't pollute in Japan.
• Many girls in their 20's look like they're 14. This is normal.
• Sexual relationships have a different meaning in Japan... and a whole slew of ways to be satisfied that, even when they border or really are illegal, the police generally have better things to do than harpoon the sex shops/hour-by-hour hotels.
• On the subway, you may find yourself standing... very... close... to many people. Personal space is a commodity, and you, gaijin, aren't going to get much of it! However, you might notice, after a month or so, that there is a collective agreement or emotion, and that even in such tight situations during the hottest days of the year, your Nihon-jin compadres are calm, focused, and accepting of the situation. It does you a world of good to take it for what it is and chill out, but the interesting things is that, for a reason I associate with picking up on the energy of the collective because it's so damn large, you will often find yourself in Eastern mannerisms without realizing it at all.
• Don't tell shop-people too many "thank you"s. It's more of an insult than being polite in that context.
  

OMG NARUTO DO-MU!

- NARUTO DOME SPOILERS! DON'T READ IF YOU WANT TO BE SURPRISED WHEN YOU GO!!! -

Sui-youbi

My original plan was to venture to one of the Tokyo Museums of Art, bypassing my more active classmates in echange for something I would enjoy intellectually. Out of nowhere, a gut reaction came that bypassed even the intellect, and it sounded like shamisen over a rock beat, also known as the Naruto theme song. As soon as I remembered that Naruto Dome was going on in Tokyo Dome, well, I just felt that I had to do that first. It was settled, then!

The subway was a little tight, plus I picked up some drinks beforehand (a lemon Coke I'd been dying to have for weeks, but finally got the gall to shell out the extra yet for, in addition to melon soda because I like melon-flavored things here... a lot.) to keep me more awake in class. The Coke was damn fine, but leaves me wondering if caffeine is a better solution for the next few weeks rather than... eating? At all? At least I know never to buy that melon soda again... it was horrible. I think the best stuff is in the vending machine when you get off the Shinjuku Line at
Shinjuku Station, even though the thing reips you off by a. serving it in a cup, b. with ice, c. filled only partially. However, that stuff is called melon cream soda, so perhaps I'm comparing animals of different species.

I tried going to the ethereal Chiyoda library before class, but no! Closed! I'd say it's the only time that library has let me down... it has become a haven for me, really. Going there, coming out with odd CDs... it's a level of awesome I never expected a library to give me. I think I'll marry a library someday.

Oh Class, how art thou becoming slightly more boring as the days progress. I don't think it's the class's fault - I find, in hindsight, that I have a lust for doing different things, keeping things moving. At least my in-class conversation practice went pretty well, AND was music related. I mean, come on, that's hott all over. Props, Keno-san. Mad props.

So I went to Naruto Dome, and it was fun, but aimed at a younger crowd. On the way in, your ticket had scratchy-parts on it, so you could answer questions around the Dome and possibly get free stuff! I, of course, misread a few and didn't get anything, but the ticket has Sasuke on it so I dunno if I'd really want to give that up! Also, the hallway in had cells and sketches by the artists that were very cool... I mean, to see THE Naruto in someone's handsketch is a nice memory to have. The "Naruto in 3D!" section always had a long line AND cost about 4 Naruto Coins (200 yen EACH! I've been robbed!). There was a Rock Lee punching game, a shuriken throwing game, and other carny-like events. I got some cute, cheap plastic stand-ups, but they're Naruto so who freakin' CARES, man?! "Ninja Training" was the funniest, though - I paid two coins to get a lesson in how to make a frog, but I was the only adult in there unaccompanied by a child, and doing the moves... it was so funny! Then, there was a massive line for 600 yen ramen, but it was in the big Naruto bowel, and I guess the experience was worth a half-hour wait to some young-un's! There were also demos for the Naruto adventure and fighting games (Gamecube!), but I totally got wooped on the fighter. The shop was AWESOME, and I treated myself to [expensive] ninja pouches that I can use for my camera and stuff... and they have the leafy symbol, and I feel cool. :3 (My apologies - I know some of these should be edited/Photoshopped, but I just don't have the time at the moment. Gomennasai!)

After I walked out, I decided to check out Tokyo Dome a bit more, since I didn't think I'd be returning any time soon. There was a hotel as part of the area, which was uber posh and had water running inside and outside (so cool!), alond with pretty art and a display with jazz instruments. A nice diversion from the heat!


With some unexpected time on my hands, and only a few more days left with my Odakyu and Shinjuku line passes, I figured I'd stop at Shinjuku to check out Kinokuniya for some video game manga that I remembered Nicholai mentioned - some Zelda: Ocarina of Time business that I certainly didn't want to leave the country without. On my way there, I zigzagged around the station in a highly inefficient way, and when I was just a block away, a guy ran up to me - "Hi, I'm a student who needs to practice my English!" and THEN "You look lost! May I help you?" The order of thoughts just killed me, it was so funny. I felt weird responding in English (I'm so used to asking for assistance in Japanese that I get confused by English sometimes). I really was just a block away, so I was off in no time. When I got there, they informed me that they had a separate branch, with a separate floor, for manga. Mental process: Oh crap. When I walked over to it (just across the street, thankfully), I was pleasantly surprised. They had, dare I say it, everything I could think of. I not only got many Zelda manga, but Mario and Kirby, too. I am satisfied... a shame there wasn't any Final Fantasy manga, but Square qould probably presonally defecate on the lawns of manga artists who dared braze Squaresoft with an inadequate imitation of it's style. Fie on it, they would say, and then go into the house to rip the limbs off of all family members or something like that. Well anyway, the guy at the shop was cool, and he helped me find them and wrap them, so I was happy. If it was America, I would've hit on him too, but I don't have enough Japanese skills for that yet. ;) Random [awesome] game arcade facade shot on the way back to the station:

To backtrack, though: I was really surprised by all of the homeless people I saw around Shinjuku that day. It's not like they were angry or anything... just... so passive, mostly sleeping, sometimes with large boxes, or carts full of blankets. It was strange to see them, so openly sitting around, emaciated, with the police doing nothing. I guess they have an understanding... there is nowhere else to go, the only option left is for me to die, please allow me to live a bit longer. Very real, for Japan. There's so much polish to this country, to Tokyo especially, that you hardly see a scrap of garbage, a strongly offensive odor even, much less something so jarring as people being homeless.

On the way back to the station, I grabbed my first Sesame Ice Cream, and at 250 yen, it was a true steal! Ice cream usually around 300 yen, minimum, and can run up to 600 yen. All of these prices are for the same amount you see before you. I know I've said it before, but when I get home... me + 1 gallon of whatever flavor, and it'll be awesome. :)

The Odakyu line was a bummer. It took hella forever to get home, all of the lines being glutted from people shopping, shopping, shopping. WHATever, I'll just stand, my calves are toned and tight by now, anyway. I can take it.

I tried this 100 yen "Milk Cider" (In Japan, cider = a wee bit of alcohol) for the Hyaku-en Shop, and it's sooo tasty! Megumi tells me that it has "Calpis" in it, a sort of milk-concentrated mixture that they have in Japan that's often mixed with other things in the summer. Maybe we've got it back at Wegman's? The name isn't Japanese, so I don't know what it's all about, really. Who knows?

Shimo-kitazawa! (J-p?)

Getsu-youbi

We went to Shimo-kitazawa today with some cool Asian friends, and we walked and shopped. I bought quite a bit, and I actually don't feel bad about it. Go figure. A certain younger sister is going to have a fabulous birthday/Christmas/anytime this year, though. ;) I simply can't stop buying for her.

It's my first evening without Hotsa. Megumi has asked me to try Hotsa's old room, the one without A/C, for a night. I think I'm getting pushed aside for the new student, but with only two weeks left, and the fact that I prefer real air to air conditioning, I'm not all that bothered. Plus, I can have my laptop on the bed right next to me, as well as space to have clothes and hang things to dry when I wash and things take 4ever to dry. (Well, not so much now, but that's becuase we're at the end of the rainy season.)

Tomorrow, I'm going to Kitanamoru Park to jam with Chris - alto sax and guitar with no clue as to what the hell we're doing, both highly out of practice. Hott. I hope the vibes are there. I wonder just where in the park we'll go, since it's mostly so peaceful, but I think we'll find a place (it's awfully big). This also means that I'm taking my sax on the subway, which promises to be an adventure in itself. I hope I don't somehow die in the process. Me before the sax, at least. It'll be nice to be outside, though, and I can say that I've "played in Tokyo". My tour has arrived! :D

So Long... But Not Quite

Nichi-youbi

Today was my last full day with Hotsa as my housemate.

It was a little sad, but somehow I wasn't all that worried. I'd still see her at school, we're still going to do things in the following weeks and all... so it's not really "so long", ne? It was actually fun carrying the huge case packed with all of her stuff - it was heavy, I know, but from walking and hanging in the subway cars, it felt easy, awesomely easy. To be strong felt like being myself, oddly enough. An intellectual getting a rise out of carting around a big thing... sounds ridiculous. Perhaps it's a kind of balance I needed, but never realized. I really enjoy being physically fit like this, though. :) (Marching band doesn't know what's coming!)

We went to her friend's place, where she'll be staying, and I was surprised by home comfortable and modern it felt despite having so little space. I'm really starting to think that I need to rethink all of my living spaces (home and school) to make the best of them. From living here, I will never, and I do mean never, think of any place I live in America as "too small". It's nearly a miracle, to my Western mind, how they utilize small space... to the Westerner, such is done for pleasure, style... but here, the necessity has created an art. Right now, I refuse to go to bed until everything I have is cleaned up, and the room is organized and livable by what I perceive as their standards. I'm even *gasp* throwing away things that I don't want or need. It's a surreal experience.

This evening, we had our last meal together as trio host family of one month. We had Nihon-jin Dominoes, and the thin pizza was a delightful shock. Honestly, I've never had a thin pizza that test acceptable. Ever. But here, it felt not only healthier, but lighter, as opposed to the heavy, grease-laden pizzas I am accustomed to. Plus, we drank Coca-Cola as well, and that is always a treat here - I rarely buy it for myself because I always feel that I am being ripped-off. I'm really, really not, but the currency conversion somehow works against me in my mind (even though we're at a grand 112Ұ to 1$ USD, but who's counting?). Also, the currency is freakin' coins, so whenever I spend, say, 5$ USD in my hand, my mind thinks it's only a big quarter. This is a bigger problem than you can imagine - those "big quarters" add up, as do the "little dimes" that happen to be .89$ USD each. Man, vending machines suck me dry in this land - very, very dry. BUT, my financial situation is improving because, after a bit of interior debate, I've chosen to borrow a little extra money from my parents that I know can be paid back when I return. This extra pocket will allow me to spend money on lunch and travel without 10-kilo bags of guilt on my shoulders, and I appreciate that... I love it here, I want my memories to be as financial-free as possible before I return to my infinitely-financially-difficult situation back home.

Being out here as made me really, really want to travel abroad. It's like a narcotic of some kind, feeling out a different culture, blending in to something so many thoughtlessly take for granted. It's like stretching my thought-arms, and the slight adrenaline of change feels fantastic. When I'm here, doing something peaceful like playing in the park or just walking... it feels like I've never played before, I've never really walked before, that the past was just a breif rehearsal for the real stuff. I meet, as it seems, "real" people here, "real" places. Whats more, they've helped me to understand where I really come from... and that's worth more than the few grand I've paid this summer to sit in this smallish room in Zama Heights.

Anyway, I'll return to cleaning, maybe some music... and learning what "me" means.

A sad class. (J-i)

The end of class was a bit depressing - we had to say good-bye to "Sweden Patrick", Nicholai, and... David. I had just started getting to know the guy better, too! He's the first of the Americans to part... and it's sad to see him go. He had a rough time of Japan in his latter weeks, though, so it was best for him to return.

After class, I was looking for David, but he buzzed off somewhere, I think with the Swedish peeps. Instead, I hung out with Chris in Jimbocho. We went to Yoshinoya, which is Japanese "fast food" in the sense that it is quickly prepared, cheaply priced, but darn good and even *gasp* healthy. I loved it, it was worth its weight in Yen by far!

He told me that'd he'd never been to the music instrument district, so I felt it would be awesome to take a fellow composer through the music shops of a country foreign to us both, looking for things that are incredibly familiar to us. I admit, seeing American guitars, just music shops with guitars and people jamming all different kinds of licks on them, well, it made me feel like Tokyo could be home, too. Maybe that's strange, but I never realized that music shops with guitars were part of my definition of home. Now, I know.



Fireworks tomorrow! I can't wait!

At this point in the game, folks, the whole Game expo/party on Sunday is getting me slightly riled. Why did these fellow students of Nihongo hold out on me? I don't know exactly where it is, or how to get there cheaply, or when... but I have the strangest, yet strong feeling

Hotsa leaves on Sunday. Can you believe that? Life will be different without the constant pull to be "doing something", but it's a different way of living, and it has it's own merits, I'm sure. It's just not my style. However, it's good to have tried it... I don't suppose I would've on my own, it's not natural to me in the least. ;p

(Gratuitous "Morning Commute in Shinjuku" shot!)

Moku-youbi

(Gratuitous "Morning Commute in Shinjuku" shot!)

Today was a bit rough class-wise because the school responded to complaints that the class size was too big. The way in which they responded, however, didn't come off as professional or school-like. They had one of the office people stop by, accost everyone who entered the class, and asked if they wished to join in a separate, smaller class. Unfortunately, the majority that have been there
since the start in early July were adamant not to part. Although not adamant, I felt uncomfortable switching to a new class when I'd finally opened up to my classmates here. Yes, I'm here academically, but I feel like I fit in even when things are too easy, because the times when I don't understand aren't such a big deal. In more advanced classes, I know that, not knowing, it's tough crap and you sink or swim on your own 'cause heaven forbid you slow anyone else down with your stupidity. Class here are just so much more fun, with great people making even mundane conversations fun and, more importantly, memorable.

It's a shame that David's leaving soon... it'll be less fun without him in class, joking with the Swedes and being optimistic for the most part. Patrick's leaving too... :/ And even Nicholai, I wish I had more time to talk to that kid. He got Zelda: Ocarina manga... I hope I find some, too.

For lunch, we returned home and had [what I call] "mochi soup" - it was a healthy concoction with the rice pastiness that I vaguely remembered trying as a child... and choking because I took a lot at once. I'm glad I was good this time! It also had celery and onion in it, so I could appreciate it very much.

We went to Yokohama. We got of a few stations past Yokohama so that we could see Chinatown. Chinatown is pretty busy, but what got me was how smelly it was. SO many different foods at once! Many of the entrances were elaborate, and a lot of the clothes looked cute, but when you looked closely, were frayed here and there from being imported. There was also a lot of anime merchandise, including the first full set of Dragon Balls that I'd seen in Japan. It's interesting how similar the cultures are, but the details can be so very different. I really, really enjoy Asia.

We then took a walk over to Yokohama Station so I could stop by the Hard Rock Cafe on the way. It's definitely a business city - a lot like Wall Street, to me, with the kinda-cold streets, lack of children/liberalism, and stark facades. No wonder Dad's been here so many times - no decent Japanese business wouldn't be. Farther out, there was a really nice pier with the ferris wheel I saw on my first day in Japan, on my way from the airport to Zama by taxi (with Moreno!). It was nice to identify with it again. I found the Hard Rock my SCENT (yeah, I smelled the burgers, and Hotsa was totally making fun of me, but it turned out that I was right, so BLEEEEH :P :P), and it was expensive there, too. I didn't eat dinner 'cause of it (drat!). If only there was more moneys to spend~

We also walked out through a huge hotel/building that had an observation cafe, but you had to pay just to use the elevator... so forget it, man! Also, there was a shop called Soup Stock Tokyo that, upon reading, Hotsa said something like "Why would you eat at a place that sells soap?". I still remember, and now there's photographic proof! :P

We finally got our donuts from the dasteredly, unassuming "Mister Donut". It was 9:25 PM, and they weren't even discounted. The cheap bastards, really. However, my "Yogurt Fromage" donut was very rich, and I ate it so slowly that my body was fooled out of being hungry for the evening. That's a college skill, folks. College.

As the buzz from my "Raspberrytree Fizz" fades into my sleep, I'll say that it was a long day, with lots of exercise, and I can't wait to chill a bit more tomorrow.