Golden Week

So Golden Week is a week in early May with many holidays, so many people have the entire week off and travel or just take it easy with their families. There is a lot of traffic; all modes of transportation are booked and more expensive than normal, as are hotels I believe. With my belongings all packed, Maruyama and I began this most golden of weeks getting me settled in Tokyo. We drove around to some random train station in Saitama Prefecture then boarded three trains before coming to our final destination to meet up with Goseki-san. We walked to his apartment and I dropped off my bags there.

Then we walked around the neighborhood for a bit and finally had dinner at an Indian restaurant nearby. I have since returned to that restaurant and have chatted with the three workers, none of whom are Indian. The owner is Bangladeshi and has been in Japan for 22 yrs, so unsurprisingly his Japanese is fluent. The other two workers are Nepalese and have been in Japan 3 and 4 years. They are very friendly and I think they enjoy talking to their customers, which may not happen too often. Anyway, they gave me a free mango lassi, which was delicious.

After getting settled, Maruyama-san returned to Tsukuba, and I went to get some shut eye while Goseki-san stayed in his lab to continue working on his polymer syntheses.

The following day I walked around Tokyo some more and revisited places like Yoyogi Park and Shibuya. I also made plans to meet up with my friend Ryu who is originally from Tokyo and now lives/works in Saitama Prefecture. I met Ryu on Kibbutz Lotan in southern Israel when I was there for four months. He was a regular volunteer and worked primarily with the goats.

I met up with Ryu-chan in Asakusa and we walked around just talking about life and Japan. We went to the temple, which was crowded, prayed, and then went off in search of a good place to eat lunch. Most places were crowded, but eventually we found a good udon place with a short wait. I forget the type of udon we had, but it was thicker than normal udon.

I had hung out with Ryu on several occasions while on the kibbutz, but never really had an extensive conversation with him. I am not sure why because he is a very interesting person. I learned that he studied linguistics, but he ended up not liking it, so he went on to fashion school and also to a hat school. He then worked for a design company as a professional hatter, but decided to quit when the market was becoming unstable. He traveled for a bit and is now working with an IT company and makes hats in his free time. He has an exhibit in late summer where he says he plans to show 50 or so of his hats. I told him that I would definitely purchase a custom-made Ryu-chan hat.

After Asakusa we went to Akihabara to check out the electronics and the maid cafes, since he had never been to one. We went to one where you can pay to get slapped in the face by a maid. We didn’t buy this since it was expensive and I told him that I would slap him for free, but it was still an interesting experience, albeit weird.

Our last stop for the day was Ikebukuro, which I had never been to. He said it was known for its liveliness and he took me to one of his favorite restaurants. The food was spectacular (I feel like I keep writing that the food is good by using different adjectives, but I am not really sure how to adequately explain the actual tastiness of the Japanese cuisine, so bear with me, or come experience it for yourself). Afterwards we went to a pub nearby and after more great conversations he said he would skip work then next day and that I simply had to return to his house so we could hang out more. Unfortunately I had already made plans to go to Fukushima Prefecture with the Sakurai family, but maybe before I leave I’ll go over, and maybe learn how to make formal hats. We parted ways and I returned to pack for my three days in Fukushima.

Fukushima Prefecture is north of Ibaraki Prefecture and is pretty rural. We first drove to the capital (taking longer than expected because of traffic) and met up with some of Sakurai-san’s friends. He gave them fresh bamboo shoots from his garden. Everyone was very happy to see him and still referred to him as shacho (company president). We had a great dinner, and I was surrounded by smokers. Although everyone kept apologizing for smoking, nobody stopped smoking. The addiction must be terrible.

Anyway, the first night we stayed in a hotel and I had a great view of a large 7-11 sign with some mountains in the background. We then drove around the city and went to a park to check out all the koinobori. We also drove up a nearby mountain that still had a lot of snow on it. I even saw a group of cute little wild monkeys, but unfortunately I did not have my camera on hand to photograph them. The place on top of the mountain reminded me of Iceland because of the rocks, moss, and all the minerals and the smell of sulfur. For lunch we met up with Sakurai-san and the kids. We ate at this ramen place that had really good spicy ramen. If was a huge bowl however, and I was unable to finish it all.

Once we were all together, we drove to the small village of Hurudono, where the Fujitsu plant is located, and dropped our bags off in the small hotel where we were staying. The owners of the hotel and the Sakurai family have known each other for several years and they were pretty much family. Everybody was really nice and at dinner I met more people who used to work with Sakurai-san’s father. After dinner they decided to take me to a local karaoke joint, which was the coolest thing ever. It was a smallish bar, with a waitress maybe in her 60s sporting pigtails. There was an older couple sitting at the bar, and three young men sitting in the booth in one corner. The waitress brought us edamame and the karaoke book. I chose a song, I think by Linkin Park, and the other people chose mostly enka songs; the youths were mostly singing Japanese rock and pop songs. After my song which everyone applauded me for (nobody listens to this music and their English isn’t good enough to realize how terrible a singer I am, maybe) I decided to try my hand at a Japanese song. The only two Japanese songs I sorta know the words to are the theme song to Neon Evangelion and Bluebird by Ikimono Gakkari; they only had the Evangelion song. I told one of the people to help me, especially with the faster parts since my reading skills are not very good. The song went by well and I enjoyed it. I sang several other songs in English, Spanish (they had Juanes), and even an Italian song (“Volare”). A little later three more young men came in and sat in a different booth. As the night progressed one of the guys approached me and greeted me I a mix of English and Japanese. He asked if I knew any Backstreet Boy songs because he would like to sing a song with me and that’s the only English songs he knew. I said that I probably remembered some of their songs and so he chose the one he knew (“You are my fire” or maybe that’s not the name, but something like that). So when the time came for us to sing, two other guys joined us and the four of us stood in the middle of the bar sharing two microphones and rocking out to the Backstreet Boys. One of the guys also knew a Linkin Park song so we also sang that as a group. In the end I asked if I could take a photograph of everyone to remember this most awesome karaoke experience.

The following day we toured the Fujitsu plant and went to the park so the kids (me included) could run around. We then drove back home, still with a lot of traffic, and then they dropped me off at the TX station so that I could return to Tokyo.

Overall it was a great Golden Week. Fukushima is a very awesome place and I could see myself living in a place like Hurudono, which lies in a valley surrounded by really green hills and mountains.

Post-Tsukuba

Everyone in my work group seemed to be worried about me and my plans for after Hitachi Chemical. I did not really have any plans myself, but I did not worry about it. Before coming to Japan I had thought of several scenarios for after my internship. My ideal plan was to take some intense Japanese classes while having a part time job and being a part of a taiko group. None of that happened, but I am OK with that. I had also contemplated WWOOFing across Japan, but in the end I decided against it because I felt that two months was not enough time to WWOOF all around Japan, and constantly moving around meant high traveling costs.

Sakurai-san’s father, who is the ex-president of one of Fujitsu‘s plants and is very well connected, was adamant in finding me a job. From working and living in a hotel on top of Tsukuba mountain to working as a translator and liaison for foreigners seeking information at the Tsukuba city hall. Unfortunately, since I had neither a working or student visa (just a special activities visa) it would probably have been illegal for me to work.

My next thought was simply to rent a cheap apartment or room somewhere for 2 months and have the liberty of traveling wherever and whenever I felt like. Most apartments are pretty expensive because they have deposits and gifts for the landlords and other random expenses which don’t make sense for a two month lease, and most contracts are for a year or two anyway.

So I then decided to stay in a Sakura House or something similar in Tokyo. These places are intended for tourists who are staying in Japan short term and their prices are pretty low for Tokyo. I think the cheapest room available, which is dorm-styled, is under $500/month, which is roughly how much a cheapish apartment in the US costs, so not too shabby. Being based in Tokyo would also facilitate traveling since this is the hub of Japan, and the city itself is pretty happening.

Still the people in my company worried about me, because traveling for 2 months is very expensive in Japan; the transportation, the accommodations, and the food, will I have enough money? Someone even estimated for me that I would need at least $5,000 for two months of travel. I agreed with them, but informed them that I did not plan to travel using the fastest/most convenient way (like by Shinkansen) and that I did not plan to stay in hotels, but outside in free campgrounds or with couchsurfers or in cheap hostels at best. As for food, I could live off of conbini food for 2 months, but I would treat myself occasionally to real meals to try out the local cuisines. This style of traveling is not common for Japanese people so maybe they continued to worry about this, but I assured them that many a backpackers from the West have survived like this, for longer periods of time. And since Japan is a fairly safe place, I did not mind sleeping in the middle of parks or in nature-y places as long as it was legal.

So this is what I had decided when one day as Maruyama and I were walking around Tsukuba center he informed me that I could probably stay at an ex-Hitachi worker’s apartment in Tokyo for free, since he lives in his lab running chemical experiments. I said that that was probably too much trouble, but sure enough everyone informed me that this was fine and that he really did spend 95% of his time in lab, so his apartment was mostly unused. I said that if it was truly OK (remember the Japanese can be very vague and it’s hard to understand them sometimes) then I would love that.

So it was settled, I would stay in Goseki-san’s apartment in Tokyo sleeping on his little futon in the corner (he offered me the bed, but I honestly prefer the floor). He lives near Meguro ward, close to the Tokyo Institute of Technology, which is where he works/lives/studies for his PhD. He gave me a tour of his lab which is pretty awesome, and his professor and fellow mates were very nice.

Before leaving Tsukuba, Maruyama informed me that there was money left over from the one time we had Sakurai-san’s BBQ, and that everyone had agreed to use the excess money to buy me an internet stick so that I would not have to worry about internet anymore. Could these people be any more awesome? So we tried several places, but they were all ridiculously expensive, especially for two (or four) months, so in the end it was impossible, but the gesture of kindness left me speechless. It’s not like I expect non-niceness from people, but usually an intern that you know for under two months, and have some difficulty communicating with isn’t someone most people would bend over backwards for. Maybe they are just really hospitable, or I made a good impression on them, or they wanted to make sure the MIT guy was happy, or who knows, but I have definitely bonded with my coworkers and I plan to continue that friendship for the rest of my life.

So I am now writing this blog in my Tokyo apartment and will use the Ethernet cord in Goseki-san’s lab (the professor said it was OK) to use the internet and post this.

End of Internship

At Hitachi Chemical, and maybe other Japanese companies, there are ‘activities’ that employees can partake in. Basically they are sport activities and I think they are intended to provide the employees with fun and healthy things to do outside of work. I have been to a weekend tennis practice and usually play tennis during lunch if the weather is good. However, Tuesdays are supposed to be badminton nights, but since I came during the busy season, this activity has generally been postponed. But after constantly asking about it, with two weeks left in my internship I attended my first badminton practice.

This is my first time touching a badminton racket in maybe years, and although I still had some rusty muscle memory, I know I am nowhere near my peak during the end of senior year. The practice consists of four Hitachi people and maybe six university students. After observing everyone for some time and hitting my first shots it is clear I am the best player here. The other person who is also pretty good is this 23 yr old university student, so I mostly hit with him. There are no badminton lines in the gym, so we don’t really play any games, aside from a very casual doubles game. Nonetheless it felt very good to play once again and the three hours went by too fast.

On my last week I also went to practice, with roughly the same people present, and once again it went very fast. I think my weakest shot has always been the drop, both in execution and in returning. During my ‘peak’ I was becoming decent at the drop, but I have since lost that. Also because of the lack of lines I cannot really judge how good my clears are: whether they are long or whether I have lost power and run them consistently short. Everything else, although weaker and slower, I think I have retained, but I cannot measure it accurately until I go to a real practice back home.

April 28^th was my last day of actual work, since the 29^th is reserved for cleaning everything before Golden Week. I turned in a report of what I had done and of the data I had collected. The 28^th was also my going away party. When I was asked if the 28^th was a good day for a party I originally thought that it was a welcome party for the new people who had transferred to our group in April, but alas, I was mistaken. It feels as if only yesterday I had my welcome party, but hey if the company wants to fund a night of great food for me and my coworkers, go for it.

Everyone minus two people who had already left for Golden Week festivities attended my first party. The food, as expected, was above par and locally grown, I was informed. My second party (because two are better than one) saw maybe half of my group. I asked for everyone’s private email, speeches were made all around, and dinner conversations ranged from my travel plans to the situation with the military base in Okinawa. I even received some really nice chopsticks with Japanese black lacquer and a set of pencils with my name written in hiragana.

As I previously said, the 29^th was a day for cleaning. We swept and wiped down our lab, threw out all the trash, and washed all the glassware and instruments. In the office space we cleaned the windows, vacuumed, and I cleaned out my desk, which was pretty barren to begin with. The remainder of the day I read the news online, after which I read articles on theonion.com, which was mostly hilarious. I had to work to hold back my laughter, although being my last day it wouldn’t have mattered too much, maybe.

I turned in my clothes, shoes, and time card to the PR people. I said “osaki ni sitsuree shimasu, otsukaresama deshita” for my last time and began to make my way to the bus stop. Then everyone who remained from my group (people had slowly trickled home early to get an early start on their Golden Week plans) walked me to the bus stop. Well half-way to the bus stop the bus came, so they ran me to the bus stop and made the bus wait. I shook everybody’s hand, they wished me the best, and I gave them my sincerest thanks and boarded the bus. I waved to them as the bus left knowing that I would miss these people.

Signs Around Japan

In Akihabara (I guess in many places apparently), people really like Gundam

Engrish sign in Akihabara

I usually frown when I sing...as do the people who hear me

I like to imagine this is a school for the DJs, but in reality it is not and I have no idea why I took a picture of this

Shibuya-eki and a huge ad for, I think, a soap opera

More signs in Shibuya, look its a guy with green hair...I feel at home

Some sort of movie advert

I'm a beaver, you're a beaver, we are beavers all...

Shirts, of some places I have been to

Lots of similar-looking high-rises and stores

Badminton's fine winners shop here, but the excellent winners, well they shop elsewhere

"I wear taboo" - I like the concept and the artwork

I'm not entirely sure what Diesel is trying to go for here, but it's probably working

Just a sign from the subway station

Tsukuba parks and Tokyo concert

And yet another weekend Maruyama-san invited me to go to some random place outside of Ibaraki-ken (I forget the name) to see this really old sakura tree that had just come into full-bloom. So we went and it was a droopy kind of sakura, which looked awesome. We then walked around the mountain nearby and through the cemetery, which had really nice family plots. It reminded me of the panteón in Acámbaro and some Coptic cemeteries in Cairo. The place was very serene and the nature was clean. We hiked the numerous steps to the top of the shrine and after praying we ate some dango to regain our energy.

En route back to Tsukuba we stopped at a Mos Burger for some lunch. I had a spicy cheeseburger, fries, and a ginger ale, all normal-portioned i.e. small by American-standards. It was really delicious, and the interior design of the place was very nice, especially for a fast-food chain.

We then went to downtown Tsukuba to walk around and he showed me this hidden path that runs throughout the city and is designed for cyclists and runners and connects the university and several city parks. We walked to some of the parks and talked about Japanese politics, economy, and people. It was a very relaxed afternoon.

In the evening I invited Maruyama-san to Tokyo to accompany me to a concert. The concert was of Sawaka’s band Este a Oeste. Sawaka is an MIT alum that I met at the MIT dinner and since graduating from MIT she has been in Tokyo pursuing a singing career. She was born in Japan but was raised in Mexico, so she is trilingual, and the only Spanish-speaker in her band. Most of her songs were in Spanish, though she did sing a couple in English and Japanese. In the audience there was a group of people from a salsa club, so they were in the front dancing away to Sawaka’s singing. Dancing is not a popular activity for the average Japanese, and although some of the dancers were off-beat, they were trying, which is really the most important part of dancing. Clearly being the only foreign-looking (there were Chinese and Koreans present who are friends of Sawaka) and incapable of moving my feet to the beat, some random guy pushed me to the front of the room, among the dancers. I enjoyed myself, although I am not sure what Maruyama-san thought of it. First of all, this is the first time hearing this type of music, and since he doesn’t dance it is difficult for me to gauge whether his sitting next to the wall for the entire show meant he was bored or was absorbing the music in a non-dancing way. He claimed to have enjoyed it, but since the Japanese tend to be vague, indirect, and not show emotions, I can’t really be sure. After the show we congratulated Sawaka and the band on their performance, and although they were going out for dinner, we had to decline and catch the TX back home.

The following day I had a date with the Sakurai-family. Sakurai-san picked me up and after a quick stop to a bookstore we went to a park. Nene (10 or 11 yr old daughter), Yutaro (7 or 8 yr old son), and Hiro (5 yr old son) are really kawaii and were asking me how to say different words in English, most of which I knew. At the park there was a pond full of huge koi fish, which we fed. We also fed many pigeons that would eat directly out of our hands. The da was very warm and there were many families out enjoying the day. We kicked around a soccer ball, ran around the playground, played outdoor badminton, and threw around a baseball. We ran into another coworker and her daughter, and we all ate some takoyaki. Sakurai-san’s father joined us a little later and we went out for some sushi.

After lunch we drove to a nearby lake (the second largest in Japan, whose name of course I have forgotten). At this particular city there was a marathon or half-marathon happening and many people were running or cheering. We booked a tour on a boat around the lake, where Sakurai-san’s father used to swim as a teenager. During the cruise we fed the gulls, also directly from our hands.

When we returned to Tsukuba, Sakurai-san and the kids had to go back home as it was nearing the kids’ bedtime, so Sakurai-san’s father and I went to an izakaya for dinner. The food was of course all very good and I had some umeshu, which may be my favorite Japanese drink, although it is hard to decide. We talked to two of the waitresses who were university students (studying agriculture and soils) and friends of the Sakurai family who would sometimes go to their house to cut bamboo shoots. Once we had had our fill we left and Sakurai-san’s father called a cab to drive his car back, because you can do that in Japan.

Ima, sore dake desu. Zyaa, mata…

Tokyo III

One weekend I went to Tokyo (that’s number three) with my kacho (section manager) and his wife. We had originally planned on taking bus tours around Tokyo, but since they were a bit pricey (maybe ¥6000 for a couple of hours) we opted on setting up our own plan by buying a Toei subway line day pass for only ¥500.

By the river in Asakusa

We began our day early in Tsukuba and we got off in Asakusa, but instead of going to the temple (which I had already seen) we went to the river where all the sakura trees were in full-bloom (mankai). We then went on a boat tour which was pretty interesting and all in Japanese, but they translated all the important things for me. The tour ended at this really awesome park, I forget the name, but it is north of the Rainbow Bridge and Odaiba. The park was very nice and the royalty used to come to this park for falconry and hunting ducks. After the duck hunts were no longer practiced here, they built a monument in remembrance to all the fallen ducks and that their animal souls may find peace, or something like that…very Shinto-like I think. We drank some amezake here, which although the name translates to “sweet sake,” it is non-alcoholic and pretty tasty. The park also has a very old pine tree (matsu).

One view of the park

The 300 year old pine

Since we were hungry at this point and we were close to the Tsukiji Fish Market (the largest in the world I think) we went there for a deliciously fresh sushi lunch. Most of the inside of the market is closed to tourists and since it was afternoon at this point, most of the fish had already been sold. Nonetheless, the place was bustling and the workers were driving these specialized vehicles that I was told only exist in Tsukiji.

Special vehicles in Tsukiji

After Tsukiji we went to Yasukuni Shrine for more sakura viewing. Because this is a very popular spot during sakura season, there were food booths all over the place. I indulged in a green-chocolate covered banana for my betsu-bara (other stomach, usually reserved for desserts) although the air was filled with the scents of takoyaki, okonomiyaki, roasted corn, and other such delicacies. Apparently at Yasukuni Shrine there are memorials for fallen Japanese soldiers, including WWII, so when the prime minister came to pray here there was some controversy brought to light by some Chinese and Koreans who felt it was undiplomatic to honor the soldiers who did many atrocious things in China and Korea during said war. I don’t really know many of the details of the shrine or of the actual controversy, but it was something I was told, and why this prevents some Chinese and Koreans from visiting this place.

Yummy bananas

Yummy octopus

We then went to the Edo Museum, where I got in as a student on my expired MIT ID card. They had a special exhibit on Genghis Khan and Mongolia, but we only went to the regular exhibit which showed life in during the Edo period. As far as museums go, it was pretty interesting and since I do not know much Japanese or Tokyo history it was worthwhile.

The museum, the building itself is kinda funky

Inside the museum and inside a carrier thingy

Katanas

As the sun began to set, we made our way to Ueno Park for more sakura viewing and to check out the crowds of people participating in hanami with their friends. Afterwards, we went to Ameyayokocho to check out the vendors screaming “sen-en, sen-en (¥1000, ¥1000)” and for dinner. We chose a raamen place, and I had a spicy ramen, which was phenomenal. I have decided that if I had to eat only one thing for the rest of my life (and not have to worry about paying for it) it would be sashimi, but spicy ramen comes in at a close second.

Some statue at Ueno Park, I think it's famous though

At Ueno Park

People enjoying hanami

Everything for 1000 yen

Yummy spicy ramen

This concluded my kacho and his wife’s stay in Tokyo, so as they went back to Tsukuba I stayed in Tokyo to do some more exploring. The main reason for my stay was that there was an MIT-sponsored dinner the following day, so I might as well stay in Tokyo until then.

So it was early evening and my stomach was extremely happy, so I decided to walk around some, so I hoped the subway over to Roppongi and had a nice stroll. I went by the Roppongi Hills which is a really fancy place with stores, restaurants, and apartments. I happened across a large bookstore so I stopped in and listened to several songs in their music section. I bought a book, Kafka on the Shore by Murakami Haruki, which was my first book by this author, but it was such a good book that I am now hooked and have bought and devoured another one of his books (Dance Dance Dance) by now. I did not bring any fiction books with me to Japan because I wanted to focus on reading my Japanese text books and dictionaries, but I just missed a good novel and I couldn’t keep away. And I’m glad that I succumbed to this temptation.

After Roppongi I made my way to Shinjuku because I heard this is a good nightlife place, and after walking around and keeping my ears pealed I happened across a club. Im not sure where it was or that I could find this place again, but it was OK as far as clubs go. The cover was ¥2000, but I didn’t mind since I had a yearning to dance and the trains had stopped running so it was dance until 5am or wander aimlessly some more. The music was pop-ish, with some JPop, American pop, and other electronic stuff that was not techno or drum n bass, but I don’t know how to classify it. Anyway no hip-hop/R&B/reggeaton, so it was a good change from the norm of my American clubbing experiences.

The club closed at 5am and the trains were running again so I bought another Toei day pass and made my way to Harajuku and walked around there. One thing that I noticed traveling solo with my Toei line day-pass, was that not all subway lines are Toei. So I know the difference between the subway and say the metro or the JR (Japan Rail) because of their logos, but apparently there are two subway companies and they use the same style of logo (a colored circle around a letter). This created a lot of confusion for me and it was only after I returned from Tokyo that I noticed the difference in subway lines (only 4 are Toei and the rest are non-Toei).

It is very interesting to see the city so empty and all the artistically-graffitied store fronts. I walked around a stretch of stores that promised gothic-lolita style attire and accessories, posters of the latest and most popular boy bands, and other things that Japanese teenage girls may desire. I was not terribly hungry, even after several hours of dancing, but since I was getting a bit tired I stopped by a Burger King and ordered something cheap, I don’t even remember what. I took my purchase to the upstairs seating area and took a nap. Cheapest hotel in Tokyo, or maybe that is McDonalds, anyway I’m not complaining. At around 9am though the place was getting crowded and I felt I was rested enough after my on-and-off 2.5 hr nap, so I left and made my way to Yoyogi Park.

Pretty barren for the most populated metropolis in the world. I like the graffiti and notice the gothic lolita sign, as well as the 7-11. :)

It was a very nice park, but on my way there I ran across a hippie festival, so I left the park and returned to the festival. There were live performances, like belly-dancing, food booths selling things from takoyaki to tacos to shawarma, and even a hands-on mud-brick building station. There were also goods and activities centered on several nationalities from American Indian to Tibetan to Jamaican to Palestinian to Indonesian. Vendors were selling jewelry, hemp clothing, drums, soaps, incense, and many other great things. I talked to several people and heard many interesting stories. I love these types of fairs.

A belly-dancer

This guy looks pretty rad, man. I wanna look like him when/if I grow up.

Yay for music and collaboration

After I had fill of some great drumming and didjeridoo-ing I walked to Shibuya, to the famous crosswalk area that I believe is the densest place in Tokyo, but maybe I just made that up. It was interesting and I like the Japanese pedestrian crossing system, but I personally enjoyed the Cairo pedestrian scene much more due to its chaos.

Just a band I saw

I killed some time walking around Shibuya and checking out a bunch of overpriced stores. I did however go to a Uniclo, which is a clothes store that is generally cheap for Japan, but has really good stuff. I bought 5 pairs of socks. I didn’t need any socks, but these are special Japanese socks. Two pairs have two compartments for the toes (think mittens) and three pairs have five compartments (think gloves). The reason I bought so many pairs was that it was the special and I couldn’t just buy one and one, so now I have plenty of Japanese socks. Now I just need Japanese-style sandals.

In Shibuya

When dinner time came rolling around, I made my way to the bar where we were meeting, which was close to Shibuya. The only people I knew at the meeting were this guy Erek who was the same year and lived in the same dorm as I did and Pat who is one of the MISTI coordinators. We introduced each other, had really good food, and shared contact information. I unfortunately had to leave early, since I still needed to catch the TX back home.

Once back in Tsukuba I picked up my bike and rode home. That was one of my best sleeps, and definitely a perfect way to end a great and generally sleepless weekend.