Asukusa and Odaiba

Wow…this weekend has been really amazing! Oh…and let me say that this weekend started on Friday. If you want, grab something to eat or drink because this is going to be one very long entry.

Let’s start with

Shinjuku

As you know Andrew and I met on Friday at the Yotsuya station (where Sophia is) before heading to Shinjuku. I of course got there way too early and decided to order coffee at a nearby coffee shop (kissaten in Japanese). Of course…this decision took up about 20 minutes because I had to build up the nerve to go into the tiny shop and order the dang thing in Japanese. I did finally do it-I managed to mispronounce it as well- and I must say that is the most satisfying Ice Mocha I’ve ever had….and it had whipped cream.

It didn’t take long for me to finish the mocha and it took Andrew another 30 minutes to show. I wasn’t too mad though..just mostly worried. I saw a very cute group of children go by and I did some other people watching.

Finally Andrew and I go to Shinjuku. Now, I’ve decided to go east of Shinjuku station for our first exploration. The goal of the trip is to buy cell phones. We have no idea where to go. My host family did tell me In should get Willcom or AU..aparently docomo is very expensive. I have done a little reading in my tourguides though so I know there is supposed to be a Virgin Megastore somewhere nearby. I decide they might have cellphones or at least be able to direct us to the nearest place that does(they have English speaking staff). So Andrew and I wander around for a bit. We take in the sights and visit this store called Don Quihote. It’s a giant 5 story mess of crammed goods, everything from underwear to gameboys to adapters. I almost buy an adapter and then second guess myself..thinking I must actually have one that works(because it looks similar to the one I almost bought).

Andrew and I get a little hungry so we decide to try out McDonalds which turns out tasting better than the ones back home. It is a little more expensive here but actually seems more healthy, plus they have Teriyaki burgers.

After McDonalds we walk around looking for cell phones stores just in case Virgin doesn’t work out. We find only one and since it seems like no one speaks English there we decide to try and find Virgin. We get a little lost because my map reading skills are terrible. A nice Japanese guy helps us out and directs us to the nearest police station. (these are small boxes all over Tokyo with policemen and maps in them…very helpful). After a lot of walking we finally get to the area where Virgin Megastore is supposed to be. No luck. Either we missed it, didn’t see it or my book is lying. It was just a little frustrating.

Now. Those who know me know that I can sometimes be very impatient. I was starting to get impatient and irritable but I really didn’t want to walk away from Shinjuku empoty handed. Andrew and I decide to go back to that first and only cell phone store that we found. I hesitantly try to speak Japanese to one of the salesmen who runs to get help from someone who can speak English. He also helpfully brings me some English language brochures on different plans for AU and Willcom. I’ve decided Willcom is the best. I get free texting and free willcom to willcom calls(my entire host family has willcom and Andrew is probably going to get it too). It’s fairly cheap and the phones are cute.

The guys grabs the phone I want and takes me to the checkout where I start filling out paperwork. Then he starts making phone calls and the guy who can speak English shows up. Turns out since I don’t have my alien registration card I can’t get tha phone yet. Dang it, dang it.

To ease my frustration, Andrew and I check out a nearby bookstore and I buy a really really cute kids book which will probably actually teach me a thing or two. It makes me feel better.

Andrew and I then part ways. The end of Friday…well, sort of.

More pics of Shinjuku:

I got home and I was extremely tired. I sit around with Okaasan and Manami and we talk, they talk, etc etc. It was actually really nice and kind of relaxing in a weird way. Plus, Okaasan said something really nice about me (Manami had to translate though). She said I had a very beautiful appearance (I think she may have meant mature or something of the like) but that I had a pure heart-like a child. Isn’t that nice? I thought so. We also had a fun time trying to say words with “v” in English. Turns out I’m teaching them as much as they are teaching me and words that begin with v are very hard to pronounce for Japanese people. We laughed a lot that night. It was really fun.

After dinner I pretty much went to sleep because I was so tired. Jet lag is defiantly still kicking my butt.

-----Okay...I just realized I’ve been sort of talking in this weird present past tense that I don’t even understand so I’m switching to complete past tense now…it’s wierding me out a little----

On Saturday I went to Yokohama with the family.

Twice a year the family visits the grave of Otoosan’s mother. She died two years ago. Yesterday they invited me to go with them…of course I said yes!

So we drove to Yokohama. Let me say…driving anywhere in Japan is a weird kind of experience of its own. No one wears seat belts(except me and otoosan) and it seemed like every second someone was going to crash into someone else. Plus the roads are kind of bumpy. At least, this was my impression of everything. I defiantly prefer the trains.

Anyway. We drove to the cemetery but it wasn’t apparent at first that we were at a cemetery. There are all the buildings in a little area. They’ve got blank gravestones and flowers and buckets with families names on them. When a family visits they get the bucket with their name on it, flowers, incense, and a ladle. You get some water from one of the random faucets and then you walk to the grave which is either on a big hill of them or further back…

It was really interesting. The grave we visited was on one of the hills.

When we got there they first changed out the flowers. Then Otoosan and Manami cleaned the gravestone. Then everyone gets a batch of incense (even me) and one by one we kneel in front of the grave, pout the incense in the little area for it, and then pray. It was pretty cool and the Ogihara’s were pretty relaxed about it too. I wanted to take pictures but decided to wait till the spring, when they go again. I think if they let me, the pictures would be amazing.

After wards we returned the bucket to the little building and then bought some Takoyaki, little balls of something with octopus in the middle. They were delicious! After that they decided to eat in Chinatown. Apparently Yokohama’s Chinatown is very famous. So we went and it’s much prettier and cooler than San Fransisco’s Chinatown. Maybe it just seems more authentic anyway. There were people selling everything in little carts on the street and the food they were selling was especially amazing. We ate at a small restaurant with a revolving stage of food. You know...the ones normally reserved for sushi? Well…it had lots of traditional Chinese dishes on it. It was really cool. We just picked up what we wanted! I even got one of those sticky buns I love! After eating we walked around Chinatown some more. After that we drove home and on the way saw more of Yokohama. The tallest building in Japan is in Yokohama (Landmark Tower). There’s a lot here I want to see but I was surprised by a really long wall of Graffiti. I really want to go back even if the only thing I can do is see that wall.

I wasn’t as tired Sunday night as I had been Friday but since I was still full from lunch dinner didn’t agree very well with my stomach. I ended up going to bed early just because my stomach hurt so much. Plus I was defiantly at least a little tired.

Jet lag wins again!

Sunday was defiantly the best of all!

First Asakusa, and then, Odaiba!

Originally, the family had intended to take me to Tsukiji fish market after asking me what my number one sightseeing spot was. They were, by the way, impressed that I knew anything about Tsukiji at all. It seems that Tsukiji was closed today so they asked me where else I wanted to go. I had a million places in mind but nothing stuck out particularly. SO I said that Manami should choose since today is her birthday (oh..today is her birthday by the way). So they all ended up sort of deciding together.

Our trip started with lunch at Asakusa. We went to a small sushi shop where everyone eats standing up. It was really neat and I tried most everything. It wasn’t too expensive either which really impressed me. It was really delicious. After that we started out walk through Asukusa. This area is crawling with foreigners so I felt a little odd and touristy but I still enjoyed the expeience a lot. The area is supposed to have this traditional feel because of the huge temple that everyone visits. You walk through the main gate first.

After that there is this huge Bazaar of shops. They sell everything and it all seems pretty cheap. It was cool with all the people and the shopkeepers and everybody doing a billion things at once. Very atmospheric.

After you walk through this huge street of people and shops you get to the shrine. People are buying their fortunes (Mikuji) and washing themselves in smoke. I didn’t buy a fortune this time around but I did wash in smoke. There is also this pagoda which I would’ve liked to take a closer look at but I guess I’ll do that next time. Anyway…you go inside the shrine and there’s this large fenced off area which I can only guess is the sacred part of the shrine. People throw small amounts of money in front of the area for more good fortune. It’s really interesting. The ceiling inside was covered with some beautiful murals and all the architecture is just what you might imagine. It was just amazing.

After this we walked to the ferries. They decided we would take a ferry to Odaiba(by the way…otoosan has driven home by now). On the way to the dock we passed a street performer juggling. Neat!

The ferry was the only thin Okaasan made me pay for. It wasn’t too expensive and it turned out to be very much like a tour of all the bridges Japan has to offer on this one river. We started at Asakusa with the AzumaBashi bridge and moved through all the ones I took pictures of and more. We ended with the Rainbow bridge in Odaiba. We had to make a short changeover at another dock as well but it was all fun. There is this huge, I mean HUGE, shopping mall in Odaiba where Okaasan let me and Manami walk around and shop. We met up again later and took the train home. What a great trip! And the Odaiba mall is really inexpensive as well. It was all really cool!

For dinner Otoosan cooked. Seriously, the best Ramen of my life. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go back to instant Ramen. It was amazing!

And so that has been my weekend up until now. I plan on staying up late tonight…

Oh..I should probably explain the internet situation, right?

Well…there is wireless around the house but its all password protected so I can use the family’s connection. I won’t be connected all the time but most likely occasionally at night and in the morning. It should be pretty regular! This is good.

I really think Japan is so mazaing. Shopping today is great fun but it made me realize how much willpower Im going to need to exert here. Don’t worry Mom and Dad. I’ve hardly spent any money at all. I know that it will get harder and harder though. All the fashion here is amazing! Its exactly my kind of clothing and style. I can’t believe it most of the time. Manami said she is going to take me to Harajuku next weekend. Oi…I hope I have some money to spend then (actually I should have more than a little^.^)!

Also…Manami gave me some old magazines of hers. The latest one has Paris Hilton on the cover. Funny, right Sara? Only, Manami hates Paris Hilton. I told her about how you love Paris, Sara. We laughed about it^.^

And remember what I said about Otoosan being nice? Well…it is totally true! He reminds me so much of Grandma and Grandpa in the way he gives me food even if I say I don’t want or need it (not that I say that too often). He’s really very kind that way!

And my host brother’s name is Naoto. He’s also very nice. Who am I kidding. They are all great. And Im doing better at saying things in Japanese if I can and also saying what they say in Japanese if they forget to or just because. I’m asking a lot more questions as well. I feel like a child sometimes but I am when it comes to Japanese so it is okay!

Everything is great! Though I’m defiantly a little homesick…I talked to Alice on skype this morning and almost cried. It was funny^.^

Much Love and I miss you all!!!

Oh...and as you can see I've added pictures to the album^.^