May 10th-12th: Visiting Hiroshima

Hello everyone quick updates before I get into the main part of the blog. I don't think I will write a blog for my last week of class nothing out of the ordinary happened then. I mean I went to club and it was fun the usual dancing stuff, and Friday my Japanese class was empty (for a reason I will get to in the blog) so we spent the whole class learning names of fruits and practicing how to order things. Other than that it was pretty a lot like my other blogs talking about my classes. So I will jump straight into what I did this past weekend which was visit the city of Hiroshima. Now for reasons of my now I am actually going to split this blog up into two parts. The first part which is this part will talk about the food, culture, and overall fun things I did in the city. The second part I will talk about my experience making my way through the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and the Peace Park. I decided to do this because I want to be honest in my experience but I know not everyone is comfortable with hearing about eh horrendous things that happened due to the explosion of the A-bomb. So consider this a warning first blog nice and fluffy second blog dark. With all that being said let's get started.

Now initially I didn't plan to visit Hiroshima so soon. Especially since it would result in some really last minute planning on my part. But after testing the waters of my friend group and hearing of their disinterest in going I decided to sue my free weekend to go by myself. I also knew that the UC students (University of California students who are technically in a different program and get to take different classes and do other programs) were going to be in Hiroshima for more than the weekend so even if I couldn't join their program I could still have someone in the city in case anything happened or to hang out with in the evening. Now I will admit I was extremely jealous of the UC students mainly due to the fact that during their trip they got to go to seminars, visit with a survivor, visit a local school, and visit other really cool islands. Which if you know me well is my ideal trip. Sadly it was too late to join so I was on my own to plan. So early Friday afternoon I jumped on a shinkansen and made my way to Hiroshima. The train ride there was really crowded which surprised me until I figured out that for some people the shinkansen was a regular commute since they worked in different cites, so by the time I arrived the train was almost empty. Hiroshima Station on the other hand was bustling. I later learned that the wildly popular baseball team based in Hiroshima (The Hiroshima Carps) were playing a game today so everyone was in town. After navigating the crowds I made my way to my bus where I meet a young man from Denmark. He was spending a gap year traveling the world (what a dream) and was in Hiroshima for the weekend like me before he left for the next country. After a bit of conversation I found out we were staying in the same hostel so we struck up a steady conversation for a while until I eventually got lost in thought staring outside the window. Now I had been in many big cities in Japan so far (I am even technically living in one) so I knew despite Japan's long history they were new and shiny for the most part. So looking outside the bus I shouldn't have been so shaken by the act that everything was new, but it was different to me somehow. I had started having this feeling on the train and now on the us it started to get more intense. The feeling that knowing why exactly everything was so new, that seventy years ago a tragedy occurred that destroyed almost all the old buildings that had been here before. It was chilling and I never did entirely shake this feeling during my stay in Hiroshima. After a while we made it to our bus stop which was right in the middle of the Peace Park. Now for those who don't know after the devastation caused by the atomic bomb the city of Hiroshima during its rebuilding process wanted to become a symbol for peace and a call for nuclear weapons to never be used again. So the area closest the the hypocenter was converted to a park which the city had hoped to reforest. Sadly they soon realized they lacked the funds to do so and asked the world to donate trees for the peace park. Massive support came from around the world and soon the area that had been completely destroyed became and beautiful forest in the middle of a bustling city. I admired them on our way to the hostel where I eventually split ways with the boy from Denmark. As I was checking in to my hostel I started to get nervous. After all I had never stayed in a proper hostel just a capsule hotel. However after being fully checked in I could see it was very similar maybe just little less space. Despite that my bed was still very cozy and I still got my own little private bunk with a curtain and everything. After exploring my hostel for a little to find out where everything was and how it worked I decided to utilize my evening seeing the city. So I decided to contact some of my UC friends to see if they wanted to eat Hiroshima's famous oysters with me. Only my friend Kevin said yes so after some brief planning we made our way to the cheapest oyster restaurant I could find. Walking to the restaurant I talked with Kevin about how the trip was going so far and he even showed e some important landmarks that his tour guide had showed him on the way there. Once we arrived at the restaurant I was beyond ready to eat some food, since I had only had a light lunch on the train. At the restaurant I tried to practice my Japanese but I found the staff would just speak english to me anyway so I just accepted my fate and ordered their oyster special. The special included (if you are hungry and reading this don't continue this sentence) an appetizer of local vegetables, grilled oyster, fresh seasonal sashimi (local fish), friend oysters, oysters served in miso soup, and udon noddles to go in the soup once you finished the oysters. For a tiny girl like me it was a lot to eat and even though it was all delicious I found myself struggling to finish in the end. Kevin and I tried to finish strong with team work but in the end we had to leave some things behind. After our big dinner we decided to walk around a local shopping district in search of an arcade. It was at an arcade where I meet my old nemesis... crane machines. I get so addicted to them that I waste so much money trying to win the prize. This time it was a gag gift for my brother, a japanese mascot named Chiichan (if you don't know him look it up its really funny). As in the past I wasted so much money trying to win and had to be dragged away by Kevin for my own good. To cheer me up he payed for us to play some Japanese arcade games. One was a wacky drum hitting game (a bit like guitar hero?) which we were alright at and Mario Kart arcade edition. I think the universe felt bad for the cone machine because at the last minute I ended up winning Mario Kart! After that we wandered around a little until I was too tired to go on so we headed back to our respective hotels. In the morning I woke up early to go to the peace park and had a quick toast breakfast before I left. Now as mentioned above I am going to jump ahead from the Peace Park and talk about it in my next blog. So I will just jump right in to Hiroshima castle. Now Hiroshima Castle  used to be a historical landmark in Hiroshima before it was destroyed in the a-bomb. It was famous for the reasons other castles in Japan are, and for the brief stay Emperor Meiji had during wartime on its grounds. Sadly all the history that was stored there was lost, so when the city decided to rebuild it they kept the historical looking facade of the outside and updated the inside to be a history of the castle and of castle towns in Japan including artifacts from other castles and cities on display. They ranged from priceless art, to old scrolls, to even a whole floor dedicated to the weapons of the samurai. Sadly you can't take pictures inside so I can't show you anything just know it was really cool. You could also visit some historically accurate watch towers and the castle's recreated shrine. The shrine itself is famous for the koi fish kept on the grounds of the castle so as I do with any iconic shrine I did my rituals, got my book signed, and enjoyed the ambiance of the shrine. After that I made my way to the castle where I ran into a very nice British couple who were visiting Japan for a couple of weeks. They were a refreshing change of pace from straining myself to practice Japanese all day. After that I got my first free entry to a museum (one of the pluses to being an international student) and made my way through the exhibits. One of the best things about the castle though is much like the original tower the top floor was used as an observatory so you see the city from above and its local mountains in spectacular fashion. After resting and enjoying the views at the top I made my way down to explore the grounds a bit. I then made my way to meet up with Kevin for another night of delicious food. This time trying Hiroshima's famous stacked Okonomiyaki. In Hiroshima they have a whole building of okonomiyaki restaurants ,called Okonomiura, to choose from and even though its catered to tourists (and not too traditional) we decided to eat here. After being beckoned by a restaurant owners we sat down at a completely empty restaurant where I attempted to order in Japanese (I was actually successful but I was very slow). Watching them make the okonomiyaki was very interesting and not quite was I expected. It took a long time which killed me a little since I was so hungry but by the time I took my first bite I knew it was worth it. As we ate some other tourists joined us and I as I have in the past I became slowly ashamed to also be a tourist. I know it's very rude to think that way but I just can't understand how people don't reproach things before they come to other countries. Or when trying a traditional Japanese food you leave all the traditional parts out and basically have a meat cabbage pancake? I don't know it just boggles my mind I am not sure I will ever get used to people acting like people... Anyway after the delicious meal Kevin and I went in search of dessert and settled on a rolled ice cream place. I had never really had rolled ice cream before so I was super excited to try it and it was so good! The flavor we got was inspired by the Hiroshima Carps and was covered in fruit and yummy things. Kevin made me finish it off though even though I was full too. After that we explored some more and eventually made our way back to the Peace Park to see the Flame of Peace at night. The story behind it is that the flame will be lit on its mantle (that looks like two hands reaching up) until there re no more nuclear weapons on earth. Which I honestly think is a beautiful hopeful thing to believe in. After that I went to bed early in my hostel because the next morning I got up at 5am to go visit one of the most iconic sites of Japan, Miyajima Island. Sadly this sight was about an hour away by train and ferry, and I had a train at 11:30 to catch so with my limited time I pushed myself through my sleepiness and busted my way through the early trains of Hiroshima. The train ride there was honestly beautiful though because the sun was just starting to rise and you could see the different mountains that surround the city. As my train pulled into the station however I took no time to rush to the port and jump on the ferry for the island. As I waited I could see Miyajima from a distance. As my research had told me the island is considered a divine place with many different shrines. The most famous being Itsukushima shrine for which the floating Tori gate resides. If you've seen famous pictures of Japan you have probably seen this Tori gate in it as it majestically floats above the water in front of a forested mountainous island. Staring at it from the dock I could feel the excitement rise up with the beauty of the island. Now for those who don't know me well I was raised on a lake which means I was raised on a boat. As a boat girl I was a little too excited to be on a boat again and to see the water splash by. I think have may have made some other passengers worry with how excited I was just to be on a ferry. As new got closer to he island I could see the Tori gate more clearly and was blown away how beautiful it looked on the water, and how tall it was (a lot taller than it looks in pictures). Once the ferry arrived at the island and people hurried towards the gate I as finally able to slow down and enjoy the island. The town that hosts the iconic site is small and cozy with many traditional shops and restaurants. There is also a beautiful little beach that follows the coastline of the town. All of this along with the beautiful mountains made me feel at peace foe the first time in Hiroshima. As I entered the shrine grounds (passing through a very impressive tori gate means you officially have entered a shrine and should refrain from eating a drinking) I could see the small crowds of people taking pictures of the tori gate. Now I hd picked the time to come to island based on my schedule, so what I forgot to factor in was the tide schedule. The whole time I was there the tide was out so the tori gate and its shrine didn't float as much as they do in pictures. But because of this I was able to get on the beach and get really close and admire the Tori gate for all its glory. After that I made my to the shrine where after paying admission (first time I had to do that for a shrine) I performed my shrine rituals, much to the surprise fo the shrine staff and locals, and got my book signed at the iconic floating shrine. After that I made my way to the famous Buddhist temple on the island with a five story pagoda. The temple was nestled on the hill above the floating shrine so the view from there was amazing along with the beautiful pagoda. I again paid admission to enter the temple (I guess they have to support themselves somehow) and was surprised. Unlike other temples this one was completely open to the air with no walls only a walkway around the base. There were also hundreds of ancient paintings and artifacts from the history of the temple hanging in the ceiling. On the ground were some giant rice paddles (forget the proper name for them) that I still have yet to find out what they were for. The temple was qual parts impressive and peaceful. The floor was almost completely empty but shown from just being clean. The intense colors of the trees and the skies reflected on it. The whole temple was just beautiful enhanced by the stunning nature around it. I was shocked that so few people were there and when they did they left so quickly not even going through the rituals. To try and make up for the lacking crowd I gave a slightly larger donation and even had my book signed even though  had decided not to do anymore for Hiroshima. I was sad to leave such a peaceful place because once I climbed back down the hill I was confronted by a crowd tourists which was only growing. At this point I didn't have much time left so I made my way back to the town to do some shopping. The island of Miyajima is famous for the floating Tori gate, but it also famous for its maple leaf shaped treats with red bean past filling. I ended bu buying so many in different flavors and had a great time wandering around eying the local shops. Too soon I was forced to leave the island due to my approaching train. As I left on the ferry I felt a sad that I couldn't stay longer on the island. It had been such a peaceful experience at the end of an emotional trip, and I found myself thinking more  positively about things on the way back. As I made my way to the station I was also confronted by another siege of Carps fans. After a short struggle through the station I was able to make my way to my shinkansen and finally return home to Totuska without issue. Wow this one was a lot longer than I thought it would be considering I left out a huge part of my visit. Even with that morbid part of my trip I still saw my trip to Hiroshima as a positive one. It was not just about learning about the past, but also looking towards the future to help improve and make it a better place so events like Hiroshima don't have it again. Stay tuned for the next blog where I talk about the Peace Park if you are interested if not see you next time!

April 27th: The Adventures of a Sick Girl

Now I would never advise someone to go take a two hour trip into the outer parts of Tokyo when they have the flu, its not a fun time at all even if you do take a lot of medicine to feel better. But sometimes a girl has got to do what a girls got to do. You see ever since I was a kid I have dearly loved the Studio Ghibli movies. The first obviously being Spirited Away followed by the rest of their masterpieces. So it would come as a surprise to no one that when I found out I would be studying in Japan one of the first things I planned was a trip to the iconic Studio Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. As soon discovered though that getting tickets to go is one of the hardest tickets to get in the world. I barely managed to get mine three hours after the sale period for the month of April opened. (the tickets go on sale for the next month on the 10th of the previous month and 10 am Japan time and they always sell out quickly). So it was an intense struggle to get the tickets I had, and it was very unlikely I would be able to get another ticket so thats why this Saturday I bundled myself up took as much medicine as possible and adventured into Tokyo. I did luck out a little for my entry time was later in the day so I could rest as much as possible before leaving. The way there was a long stressful battle trying to manage to amen my trains and stay warm since surprise surprise the only cold day of Golden Week was the day I was sick. Once I got to the city of Mitaka though and I started to feel the anticipation for what was to come I started to forget I was even sick. To get to the museum you have to take about a fifteen minute walk through the city park. The park was beautiful like a peaceful oasis in the middle of a bustling city. It was a well needed break of stress before I approached the majesty of the museum. Now quickly for those who do not know much about the Studio Ghibli Museum it was designed in the late 90's by Studio Ghibli creative mind Hayao Miyazaki as a place for kids to enjoy a space specifically designed for them, while also being a place to sell the merchandise of their movies. (their movies are notoriously expensive to make so they did as a way to support the studio among many other reasons). So stepping on to the grounds of the museum is like stepping into a childhood dream. To the right you are greeted by a Totoro working a ticket booth (that obviously isn't really in use) and then you are meet with the wonderfully unique exterior of the museum. Not the Studio Ghibli Museum is one fo those places that doesn't allow photographs so people can enjoy it at face value so I unfortunately won't be able to show many pictures of the inside... but I can describe it. When you walk in you are greeted by stain glass doors and windows of your favorite Ghibli characters. You feel like your are stepping into the space of one of their movies with the beautiful inspired architecture. Once inside you exchange your ticket you brought for the real ticket which is a piece of film from one of their movies (mine is from Howl's Moving Castle one of my favorites).After that you take down the staircase and come into the main space. Here the ceiling goes all the way up to the garden rooftop so the space feels enormous. Above are different brides to connect the different parts of the museum as well as spiral staircases and more stained glass. As much as I wanted to appreciate the space for hours, I was a sick girl on a mission to see everything I wanted to see in the two hours I had before it closed. I first made my way to the Saturn Theatre where they showed museum exclusive short films made by the Studio. They change every month and this month was Koro's Big Day Out (2002), and film and the theatre were just spectacular works of the Studio. Miyazaki even thought to add windows to the theatre so kids won't get scared. Back to the movie though it was a cute twenty minute film about a small dog who gets lost trying to find disowner and then dining his way back to them. It was entirely in Japanese and I could understand some of it but you didn't really have to understand it to enjoy it. After the movie I made my way to the permeant exhibits that showed the process fo making movies. They could have made these exhibits and lot more stereotypical like any other museum, but they made it dynamic and interactive. The whole room came alive to teach you the history of film and how it started from spinning images to projectors. It was really one of the coolest places in the museum. The other room showed how their movies go from sketches and storyboards to actual film. I nearly died in this section because the room was covered in Miyazaki's original sketches for my favorite movies. You oddly also see how their desks and rooms used to be arranged. It was a little too relatable for me since everything was covered in books and nit knacks. It was an amazing sight to see though. After that I made my way to the temporary exhibition. This one I probably enjoyed the least because while it was very interesting excuse it talked about how there color in their movies come to life, I couldn't really understand it since there was no english translation and I do not know enough Kanji to read it. I still enjoyed it none the less. After that I skipped the third floor (for a reason) and made my way to the roof. Climbing an ivy covered spiral staircase you are greeted by a beautiful roof garden that plays tribute to Studio Ghibli's first official film Castle in the Sky (or Laputa depends on how hardcore you are). Since I was outside for this part I could technically take pictures which I proceeded to do so with everything that was a reference to the film. The main one being the Robot Solider standing tall (you can even see him from ground level). After the serene beauty of the rooftop garden I made my way  back to the third floor where I was greeted my the Cat Bus from My Neighbor Totoro which I sadly could not play on since I was an adult. I then began to face my biggest enemy: gift shops. Which the museum had two of for good reasons. The first being "Tri Hawks" reading room. Here the room is filled with books about the museum and movies, but most importantly books Miyazaki himself recommends for kids and adults to read. The other being the main gift shop called "MAMMA AIUTO!" a reference to the film Porco Rosso. Here you could get museum exclusive Studio Ghibli merchandise which my wallet cried over immensely as I helped myself to the goods. Finally heading back to group level was a small courtyard (mainly for storage but also with some interactive things) and the museum's cafe. At this point though I was so tired that I just made up my mind to skip the cafe and head back home. The train ride home was uneventful except for the fact that I always got to have a seat on the trains, maybe it was the universe saying sorry for giving me the flu. Other than that I managed to get home safely and sleep like a rock for most of Sunday, but I will talk more about the rest of Golden Week in the next blog, until next time! 

April 28th-May 5th: Golden Week Shenanigans

Hello welcome back, this one will probably be a long one, just because so little and so much happened at once and I can't really figure out a nice way to separate the days. So if you don't have time to read this I suggest coming back when you have some. Onto to the story telling. Now for the first part of my Golden Week I didn't do much sadly, because as my last blogs have told I was sick with the flu, and even when I was starting to feel better I didn't want to get others sick. So basically all the fabulous things I had planned to do went down the drain... Fun times. I was still determined to try and do some things so after a trial run Wednesday night to see how I felt going out and doing things I made plans to explore Totsuka a little with Jordan who also couldn't do much due to his ankle. Together we went on a small adventure! We started at the Post Office where I learned that limited postal service during Golden Week is awful but probably worse for the people who have to work. I also learned that Japan has some of the prettiest and coolest postage stamps I have ever seen. Next we grabbed lunch at the chain cafe Mister Donut. Mister Donut is a bit like Krispy Kreme in the US except a lot more adventurous in their donuts. After all where else is it common place to go from a Sakura cake donut to a Matcha cake donut to a classic creme filled donut? Not in any other country I know (I was also quite taste starved after sick people food so it was really good to me). After Mister Donut we went shopping for some things Jordan, where I also go the shopping bug and bought a few things I needed and some I didn't. We then made our way to another mall close by (there are four malls right next to each other in Totsuka its intense). While we were just wandering around at first we soon happened on a true gem in this world of consumerism. It was an old cafe, appropriately named Cafe Time. It felt a bit like a bar with the customers sitting at the bar in the swivel chairs (you could order alcohol if you wanted bu the main focus was coffee). The small speakers played old vintage music from the 50's and 60's. The walls and shelves were covered in nick knacks and celebrity signatures the owner had collected. Plants lined the walls and the bar making the close space very cozy. They also cared a lot about their products serving coffee freshly ground and hand brewing my tea. It was like stepping into a peaceful dream you never wanted to leave. After we sat there trying to talk to the worker with our limited Japanese the owner joined us. As we struggled our way through conversation we somehow managed to somehow charm the owner. He started telling us about the MGU students who frequent the cafe, and about his goats he keeps near the station (more like underneath but it was unclear). He even ended up giving us some of his goat's merchandise for free! He was very sweet and I look forward to going back to his cafe. Friday I had much bigger plans. A student from the Tokyo MGU campus who I had meet at the Welcome Party there had asked me to help him with a film project he was working on. He needed me to be an actress since his original choice had gotten sick and then was busy on his free days. So with my friend Shika in tow we made our way to his video shoot in Odaiba (a part of Tokyo). I will admit I was really nervous about it considering it was supposed to be a romantic video, but I considered it a learning experience. Plus it was like having a unique tour of different areas in Odaiba and eventually Shiagawa. But before that Shika made a quick adventure to the Tsukuji fish market world famous for their fish throwing. I however wasn't there for the fish or the throwing, I was on a mission to try the best eggs in Japan. The fish market housed many other business to feed the hardworking fishermen, one of them being a famous rolled omelet. It was surprisingly sweet and so worth the trip. After the market we made our way to Odaiba on one of the most crowded trains I have been on (Golden Week means the trains for entertainment districts are super packed). After a quick pit stop to buy sunscreen we made our way to the meeting location. While we waited for the guy to arrive we watched this really intense street performer. It was a lot different than ones I had seen before, he had a whole mic set up and talked a mile a minute, his very last act was balancing on a really tall stack of things while juggling swords. By that time the guy (his name is Shinichiro by the way) and we made our way to his first location. Now before I delve into this I would like to mention that he made me bring three changes of clothes so I could change how I looked so I was a little thrown off about serious the project actually was. He also had his friend who had a really nice camera (I am going to spell his name wrong so let's call him H) and had all his locations all ready. Even with the pressure of having to actually do well for Shin's video I found myself just being my usual silly self and trying to enjoy the ambiance of the really fancy mall he had taken us to. It was supposed to look like a European open town and they even changed the lighting from dawn to dusk during our time there. As we worked through the shots I started to see that the video he was making was just a cheesy romantic video. He made it seem like we were on museum dates and different things using the different parts of the mall. There was even an old vintage car exhibition which I honestly did enjoy throughly. I mean how could I not they had a DeLorean for goodness sake! After the museum we stopped for a brief lunch (which Shin graciously paid for H's and mine) and then made our way to the local park to get more shots. It was so much fun shooting with everyone and I got to know both boys a lot better. Sometime in the afternoon Shika and I had to leave to go do something we had to planned to do earlier in the week, so I agreed to meet up with them once I finished the other things I wanted to do. During the summer months in Japan there are a lot of festivals for different things, and Shika had found a festival in a famous temple in the center of Tokyo for the blooming of the Wyesteria flowers (probably spelling that wrong). I had to rush to get there because I had also planned to go see the Detective Pikachu premier. So with time very short I rushed my way through the temple rituals grabbed a paper for my temple book. Briefly hung out and enjoyed the flowers with Shika and then booked it back across Tokyo to see the movie with some international friends. Now the movie won't premier in the US for a few more days so I won't say much beyond I really really enjoyed it and I think other people will too! Also movie theaters in Japan are so much nicer and more comfortable that I think I will cry a little when I sit in a US theater again. They also had a small gift shop for the movies that were being shown which blew my mind a little bit. After the movie though I had to meet up with Shin and H again to finish some more shots. This time the shots were  really interesting night shots using the amazing light designs of Tokyo as a back drop.  It was really cool to see though because many of the places were all their hidden spots in Shinagawa and it was beautiful to see at night. After the shooting Shin got us a Taxi (I was extremely thankful because at this point I was in heels and very tired after a very busy day). I then made my way home safe and sound and then slept the next day away (just a little though). That night though I held another Takoyaki party but it was much bigger this time. I invited my buddy hold it with me because she also really loves takoyaki, and she brought her friend. I invited Shika as well and she brought a whole crew of people. The next thing you know we are fitting eight people in my small dorm room to eat some takoyaki together. Mayu opened my eyes though because it turns out there are several kinds of takoyaki you can make. You can have octopus, hot dogs and cheese, or mochi and cheese. I was so sleepy at the end of the night from all the good food. I also had a great time talking to everyone, and learning about them and their cultures. Late into the night we all said goodbye with full tummies and again I sort of slept myself into the next day. Today, Sunday, I did nothing but relax, prepare for classes and do my laundry. The next time I update will probably be at the end of this week so I hope you enjoyed reading this and I will see you next time!

April 22nd-26th: Welcome Party! (But the third one?)

Hello everyone I am sorry for the delay on my blogs. It was a combination of Golden Week laziness and then actually catching the flu for a few days that has caused this delay but I'm here now ready to blog. I also wanted to mention that I am not going to go into detail about my classes in these weekly blogs unless something exciting happens with them its just too much to write every week with all the extra stuff happening in my life and my classes, so I'll focus on the exciting for now. The first thing that happened to me this week was a Welcome Party at MGU Yokohama Campus. At this point I just have to guess that Welcome parties and things like this are a much bigger deal than they are in the US so I am sorry if you get bored hearing about them because they aren't really going to stop until I start going to Farewell Parties. This party was much more special to me though because one of my buddies (her name is Fuka) was part of the organization that was hosting it, so I mainly came out to support her. My other buddy (Mayu) was also going to be there so it would be a great time to get to know them and practice my Japanese. When I arrived at the party with some other international students I was told there were snacks and drinks to share, but in typical fashion they quickly disappeared so I didn't get much in regards to refreshments. While we waited fro the main festivities to begin Mayu went around introducing me to her different friends and people she knew. Try as I might I didn't get much Japanese practice in because as much as I wanted to practice my Japanese they also wanted to practice their English. It was interesting to hear because I would ask questions in Japanese or answer in Japanese and they would respond in English. After a lot of small talk they signaled to us that the games were about to start. We were split into teams based on what we had on our name tags and were then balanced out with a somewhat even number of international students and MGU students. The first game was a game of translation telephone. Basically my worst nightmare as a barely speaking Japanese person. We had three rounds where the sentence started in English and had to finish in Japanese, then the reverse, and then a speed round. While I kept cheering our team on when I could I wasn't sure how we were going to do, especially since the other teams were cheating (yes I am that bitter about it I wrote it into my blog) but we actually won in the end! We were supposed to have a prize but someone had forgotten it so we just had bragging rights. After that we played the old favorite of Bingo for some of the prizes they did have and I ended up winning right when the prizes ran out (I am okay with it though since I got such a sweet prize with my other Bingo game). After that there was supposed to be more mingling, but they made a crucial mistake... they played music. And if you know me, and you know what I do with music and a floor, then you know I turned that Welcome Party into a Dance Party. What can I say it is my super power. I got everyone dancing by the time they had to officially end the party. So in the end it ended up being a lot of fun and I got to surprise a lot fo people with my sick moves. The next day I got to continue the dancing trend at Ballroom Dance Club. This time I learned Cha Cha and Quick Step which were both a lot of fun but a little hard to pick up on, I hope to get better with practice. Though the group dances were a little awkward because I still have yet to master dancing with the guys (I know I am supposed to utilize their space as much as mine but I have no clue how to if anyone knows how please send some tips!). Though I am in a little better shape than the other International Student in the club, I danced with him for the last dance and he was... okay. I had to lead a lot and I could tell he didn't remember the dance at all, but we did walk back to MISH together and I got to get to know him better which is always fun. Nothing really exciting happened until Friday evening where I started to feel a little off. The evening before I had felt a sore throat coming on and I had only gotten worse through Friday. Despite this I worked on some homework and tried to get some things done. It wasn't until early Saturday that I realized (with my Mom's help) that I officially had the flu. I had heard of some people having to flu earlier in the week and didn't give it much thought, it wasn't until that morning that I realized oh those sick people are in my dorm. One of the main culprits being the International guy from Ballroom Dance Club. So there I was on the cusp of Golden Week the longest vacation I would get, and I was sick as a dog... I'll continue this in the next blog because despite being sick I still managed to have some adventures. Until next time!

Day 28-29: The Wonders of Nara

For many people who think of traveling to Japan, Nara is not high on their list of must go to places. As a current resident of Japan I resent that image, because Nara has so much rich history and culture all on its own. Nara was actually Japan's first capital before it was moved to Kyoto so a lot of Japan's World Heritage Sites are in Nara (about twenty to be exact), and many things we often associate with Japan, including sake, were born in Nara. So to make the most of my short weekend in Nara I sought out AirBnB for their guidance on tour guides in Nara. One stood out among the rest as a unique look at Nara through a local's eyes, so I worked as fast as possible to book her since she usually is completely full. Luckily I was able to sign up for her tour for Saturday at 9:30am. So Shika and I dragged ourselves out of bed early to have a quick breakfast and to head to the meeting place of our guide. As we walked through Nara Shika kept saying how much this place felt like the countryside to her and I kept saying how it was just a quaint city since there was still a lot of buildings and things to do. I guess it shows how much perspective can influence how you see new places. We meet our tour guide outside the local subway station at the statue of an important Buddhist monk (whose name I never did manage to write down). He was responsible for the building of one of Nara's most iconic Buddhist temples, and you can see that his statue is facing the temple. At the statue we finally meet Ikuyo our tour guide. She was very sweet and welcoming to us, instantly trying to get to know us better while we waited for the third person of our party (a girl from Malaysia who again I never managed to get the name of). Once she arrived we started our tour by learning more about Ikuyo and how she had come to settle into the Nara area since she had been born in Kyoto. We then began to wander through the local shopping center with Ikuyo showing us different local treats of Nara. The three foods ew actually got to stop at look at were the famous perilla leaf wrapped sushi, Nara-zuke (sake preserved fruits and vegetables not too bad actually probably better tasting to those who like to drink), and finally Yomogi-Mochi (also known as Mugwort Rice Cake made fresh every few hours). I only got to try the Nara-zuke and the Yomogi-Mochi and both were pretty good and a great start to understanding the way of life at Nara. We then made our way officially into Nara Park. Some quick facts on Nara Park are that it houses many World Heritage Sites and is home to the sacred deer of Nara who are allowed to freely wander the park as they please, even across roads. The first place we went to in the park was Kohfukuji Temple. Here our guide explained how to properly pray at a Buddhist temple in Japan, and how you can tell the different between a Buddhist temple and a Shinto temple (original religion of Japan) since both are quite similar. For me there was a big sense of déjà vu from when I went to France and was taught the difference between a Roman Catholic church and a  Gothic church (which I can still tell to this day). At Kohfukuji temple the temple was crowded with tourists but I still found myself enjoying the atmosphere. I also made just to give my offerings, offer a quick prayer, and get my shrine book signed. (These are the usually steps you are supposed to go through at the temples in Japan). I also learned what the proper name of my shrine book was called: a Goshuinshou. Ikuyo was very happy to see I had one since she already had two herself, and encouraged the others either buy one as well or buy individual sheets. Also at Kohfukuji Temple was the second largest pagoda in Japan. It was next to this great tower that we encountered our first Nara deer. He was a lot smaller than I thought they were be but he was very calm and collected despite the title crowd of tourists around him. It was then that Ikuyo started to share her deer biscuits (the only officially sanctioned thing you can feed the deer in the park) with not only us but the other people. She taught us that if you hold the biscuit a little above the deer's head it will bow three times and then eat the biscuit. As a psychology major I was so excited of the notion that a whole park of deer had all been conditioned to do this one action over thousands of generations. It was crazy to think about that, and the fact that if you held up your hands and said the word "Nai" or nothing they will know you have nothing more and will leave you alone. It honestly blew my mind a little and I was so happy that Ikuyo had taught that to us. After the temple however we went to buy our own deer biscuits so we wouldn't take all of Ikuyo's. The challenge here though was that the deer who stood near the carts that sold the biscuits were a lot more aggressive than the other deer. They would see paper and take it out of your hands and eat it (Ikuyo said she had seen them eat people's money before). So mic like she had taught us deer etiquette before Ikuyo also taught us how to get our deer biscuits without losing anything to the deer. Even as I got away with my biscuits I could see other people struggling with the more aggressive deer and there attempts to take their biscuits as fast as possible. In order to enjoy our time more with the deer Ikuyo took us to her favorite spot and to her favorite herd of deer. Compared to the madness of early this other area was serene and the deer relaxed peacefully. There was even some baby deer who cautious at first eventually warmed up to us (bribery will do that to you). I enjoyed this area the most because it felt like I was in a whole different world were I just got to enjoy myself and connect with the deer of Nara park. My friend Shika also had a great time with her spirit animal (her name Shika actually means deer so it was quite funny to make deer jokes with her), but the poor other girl seemed scared that the deer would bite her. No many how many times we told her that their teeth weren't sharp and they knew not to bite she was still really sacred. We sadly had to eventually leave this area and continue with the tour. The next part of the park  we went to was a pond with a bridge and gazebo over the water. Ikuyo showed us this unique place called a Suikinkutsu there were if you poured water down a hole it ran into a cave underneath and sounded like music. It was amazing to hear and we all took turns pouring the water to hear the music. Then Ikuyo surprised us again and gave us (and some kids nearby) some food to feed the koi fish. She gave it to us in these little origami bowls that she made herself (one of her other jobs is actually an origami teacher). Once we finished feeding the koi we saw that there was a couple taking wedding pictures, Shika and I had some fun recreating their poses and taking pictures on our own. After that we made our way to another famous temple. Along the way we saw many Stone Lanterns along the path and Ikuyo explained that Nara had four hundred stone lanterns and one thousand hanging lanterns that were lit during special festivals. There were very beautiful covered in moss and mis matched fro different states of repair and disrepair. We also saw many more deer on the path and took turns feeding some and trying to encourage our new friend to let the deer eat from her hand. Eventually we made it to Kasuga Taisha Shrine a famous Shinto shrine which actually turned our to be a complex of different shrines based one what you were wishing or praying for. Ikuyo took us to Meoto-Daikokusha shrine which was a shrine for marriage and love. Considering that all of the members of the party were single we were very excited about the prospect of better luck with romance. The shrine itself was very pretty though and was very unique from other Shinto shrines I had already been to. There I made my offerings (wishing for happiness in love) and got my Goshuinshou signed too. Shika and the other girl bought charms to help them get a boyfriend and while I was very tempted to get one on my own I was sure I would lose it and being bad luck on myself so I just stuck with my wish. We then made our way to the main shrine were again I made my offering and got my book signed, but I also bought a fortune in the form of a little deer. Luckily for me it was english because it turned out to be the best fortune you could get. After walking around the shrine a little enjoying the iconic shrine imagery in Japan. We then made our way to lunch at a local famous udon noodle shop close to the temple. It was my first real time having Udon and it was amazing. I also had a fancy version of matcha tea and it was really good too. We then started to take the scenic route to the most famous temple in Nara park. Along the way though we stopped at Ikuyo's favorite shop so she could buy more biscuits for herself. While I was looking at some of the souvenirs one of the deers hanging out at the shop dove into my pocket and tired to steal my biscuits! I was mortified but acted quickly so all he ended up getting was some plastic.I felt a little bad for him but he was still too pushy for me to give him a biscuit. We then meet more deer along the way and eventually made it to Sangatsu-do Hall one fo the many Halls of the Todaji Temple area. This hall was very special though because once a year a special ceremony happens were a monk runs along the hall's balcony with very long pole bath is partly on fire. It is part of a tradition of cleansing and many people turn out to go see it. Sadly the ceremony had already happened but Ikuyo had been there earlier in the year to see it and was able to describe it in great detail for us. As was respectful I made my offerings and got my Goshuinshou signed and enjoyed to beautiful views from the balcony. We then made our way to the side of the building where there was free water and places to sit. Here Ikuyo surprised us yet again by giving us a little mini origami class. She taught us how to make little flower baskets, and even showed us her advanced technique by making a origami deer! She even had pre made some for each of us to have. Out of all the things I got in Nara this gift was by far the most special. After the break we made our way to the Great Bell tower where the bell for the Todaji Temple was held. It was the Great Bell for no reason it was of an impressive size, but we couldn't hear it be rung until later that evening at 8pm. From the Great Bell we made our way to our last stop Todaji Temple's main building. Sadly this was where we had to say good bye to Ikuyo since it was the end of her tour. She did tell us a lot about the temple and what to do inside, but I was really sad to see her go. She was so kind to us and was one of the best tour guides I had ever had. Armed with her knowledge we entered the Todaji temple home to the Great Buddha of Nara. It's also interesting to note that the temple is the largest wooden structure in the world, so not only was Buddha impressive but also the building that hosted it. Buda was 15m tall and had many other statues of significance around it. One of the most interesting things in the temple was a hold that had been carved into one of the columns that is the size of one of Buddha's nostrils. It is said that if you climb through that you will live a long life and be knowledgeable. Now if you know me you know I never turn a challenge, so despite being one of the only adults in line to try and squeeze through the hole I took the nostril challenge. It was surprisingly easy since I had had a lot of practice going through doggie doors. I managed to also convince my friend Shika to try it and she managed to get through it so you now know two very long living and wise girls. After that we did the usually temple activities and then made for the exit. Shika and I then want to share the last bit of deer biscuits with small herd Ikuyo had recommended for us. This was the only time Ikuyo's information was wrong or the deer were more hungry than usually because they ended up chasing Shika (the good friend I was I stood to the side and took pictures). After our quick escape we made our way back to the city section of Nara. We decided to have dinner at a famous Okinmiyakai restaurant in Nara. Before that we rested at the fountain we meet at earlier. There I saw a street artist selling cute drawings of dogs and deer. I decided to cave and commission him to make a drawing of Scout (my dog). While we waited for the drawing to finish we went shopping around Nara and eventually went back to our AirBnB to rest a little before dinner. After that we finally made our way to dinner which was one fo the best choices of the day. The food was so good and I even got to try and new Japanese dish called Ashatayaki (dough balls with octopus dipped into a soup). After dinner since most of the shops and bars were closing (it was only around 8:30pm so I was pretty shocked things closed this early on a Saturday) we made our way back to our AirBnB and got some well deserved rest. The next morning we started early again to see some more sights before we left for Nara in the afternoon. After a quick stop at the train station to drop our stuff at lockers we made our way to Gangoji temple. This one was very special because it is the first Buddhist temple in Japan. Founded in the 6th century some of the parts of the different buildings in the complex are still original. Despite this rig history however there were not many people visiting and far less than I expected. I think I enjoyed this temple the most because of this reason. It was so peaceful and I never felt troubled walking around. You could also tell that the people who worked there curly loved and cared for the temple. Plus much of the temple was surrounded by beautiful trees and flowers. I really began to understand how temples and shrines in Japan were supposed to be. A place for someone to come with their worries and troubles and be comforted. After the serene experience of Gangoji Temple we returned to the hustle and bustle of the tourist section to visit the Nara National Museum. Here many important Buddhist and Cultural artifacts were kept. Unbeknownst to Shika and I there was actually an extra exhibit on display holding national treasures of Japan. It felt like thousands people came out to see the famous works of art and pottery. The most famous was the Yoben-Tennoku tea bowl. Form I learned later on this bowl is only one fo three bowls to be made as it was, and is the only complete one. The english title of was A Brilliant Universe Reflected in a National Treasure. After a look at the other works of art we decided that we should get a close look which was a slightly bad idea because the line to see the bowl took 40 minutes. I felt like I was in the crowd to see the Mona Lisa. But unlike the Mona Lisa the Yoben-Tennoku bowl was as brilliant as the hype around it said it was. It was a good thing I had gotten to see it too because apparently the brilliant glaze that was used for the bowl has still yet to be recreated. Meaning I will probably never get to see the brilliance of that bowl again. The rest of the art on exhibit was also brilliant but I didn't completely understand all of it since I did not know enough Japanese to translate it. After the exhibit we went to he Museum Shop where I narrowly escaped buying more stuff, or so I had thought because as the staff directed us to the exit we ran into another Museum Shop that Shika wanted to stop at to see what they had. I stayed as strong as possible until I saw a really cool blue shirt that I caved and bought something. After my shameful purchase we made our way to the famous Nara sushi shop we had been told about the previous day. We got some for the train and our friends and then made our way to the train station. There we eventually got back to Kyoto where we boarded our Shinkansen without trouble, and enjoyed our unique sushi. We eventually made it back to good old Totsuka where I grabbed a quick dinner and the tucked in for the night. That concludes my time in Nara, thank you if you actually read this far and I hope to update for this week sometime Friday.

Day 23-27: New School Adventures and Joining a Club!

After Disney I started my second week of classes at MGU. Just like back home I was getting used to how everything worked, where my classes where, and adjusting to a new set of professors. Despite the fact that I am in a different country some of things I have come to learn about professors still hasn't changed. Fo instance political science professors always tend to talk themselves in a circle, usually going getting off topic about ideas they are passionate it. And even though they might show up a little late they are still very kind and good hearted. My International Law class in the second week was much of the same as what I had experienced above so nothing too important to add on that topic. In my Japanese Minority Groups class I continue to learn more and more about different kinds of ethnic Japanese minority groups. This class is in my opinion very interesting and I find myself often reflecting on how similar the act of oppressing certain groups is between the different countries in the world. As if there always seems to be a lesser man to everyone else. The professor in this class is pretty nice but he gets impatient with other students sometimes since they are always trying to go to the bathroom or talk during his lecture. After this class I headed to my first meeting as a Volunteer TA for Current Affairs (an english speaking course for Japanese students). I was really excited to be challenged and practice things i had learned as an SI leader in a different environment. Unfortunately for me the jobs in the end won't be too similar. In SI I am constantly guiding and leading the students and taking care of a lot of the behind the scenes work by myself. As a TA for this program in Japan however I am supposed to let the students come to me for help and only slightly help when it is asked for. My group is a very interesting group with students of very different skill levels in English They are very nice but like most students my age they tend tp put off work until the last minute. I try my best not to mother them but they keep on approaching me with their work at the last minute. We will just have to wait and see how the next class goes. Tuesday I had my Japanese class and Politics and Society in Japan class. Nothing terribly exciting happened but I did get to struggle through an entirely in Japanese Documentary about an influential intellectual magazine made in Post War Japan. I had some Japanese students who were supposed to be helping me translate but they seemed as confused as I was so we all tired our best with what we had. After class I will be honest I was pretty lazy and just relaxed and worked on some homework for my Japanese class. Wednesday I had Japanese class all day. Although the progress is slow since most fo the material I am covering now is review for me I still find myself improving with personal practice all around me. I feel like my mind is always keyed into trying to recognize as much Japanese as possible. After class I decided to attend the Ballroom Dance Club on campus. Another international student had talked about attending it the previous week so I decided to try and it and experience club culture in Japan. The meeting place for the club was a bit unconventional, but with so many clubs wanting space to practice I can understand why we had to practice in the school cafeteria (I did myself quite often in high school for dance team). I quickly realized however that most fo the club members spoke very little English and seemed very scared of the fact that I might make them speak English so I just tired to wait politely for the other International student. Luckily for me though one of the senior members of the club spoke enough english to explain some things to me so I wasn't as awkward. I also tired to talk to some of the other club members with my very limited Japanese. Eventually with enough Sage charm I was able to make everyone a lot more comfortable around me. By then it was time to start official start the practice. Now I will admit although I am aa very experienced dancer my knowledge of ballroom dance is close to none, but the members seemed okay with that and they assigned a older senior member who could speak english (different girl from before) to teach me the first dance: the waltz. Arisa-san (since she is older I use a title of respect with her) was a really good teacher and was very patient with me as I muddled my way through the steps. I should warn you for later in the story that I only practiced the waltz alone. Eventually I had the steps down pretty well and the time for a break came. I sued that time to get a drink and talk more with the other club members. I eventually admitted to them that I had never really danced Ballroom with a guy since I often played the guy part for dance. This one very flirty guy decided to whisk me away to attempt a waltz with me but I got so nervous that is wasn't pretty. I promised to practice more and make sure I was better for next week. The next dance we learned or practiced for the other members was Rumba. Now this dance was much more up my alley with similar steps to the Latin Dances I had learned from friends in high school. It was at this point that Arisa-san realized that I had a slight knack for picking up new dances. And when she asked a guy to practice with me I did a lot better then the waltz. After I practiced a lot Arisa-san and I talked for a while about different things like school in Japan or different dances we liked. Eventually it was time for a break again, but this time they put on the music of the next dance for the older students to practice. Now if you know me that if there is music playing that I can't help but dance to it, especially is that music is Jive music. If you also know me then you know how hard I go on a dance floor. Now take those two images together and you have me going hard to Jive music in front of a bunch of surprised and slightly impressed Japanese dancers. Later they told me they though it was cute and kind of cool. I felt like after that moment I had earned some respect on some level. This meant I could talk comfortably with the other members, and even have some fun teaching them some of my moves. After the break though they suddenly put on a much slower swing beat and I learned that we weren't doing Jive (sadly) but instead a dance I currently can't remember the name of. It was very similar to swing though so I was still excited. Now while I had excelled at Rumba this new dance felt entirely natural to me and I mastered it in little under 5 minutes. The rest of the practice time I spent prating again and again with Arisa-san eventually graduating to being able practice with a boy. After that we had our final break before we started our final practice time. This final time was supposed to be a time for boys and girls to practice the dance to go. And boy was I nervous wreck. Despite my progress during individual time when I danced with the boys I had no idea what to do with another human there so I messed up quite a bit (except for the swing one that one was pretty good). After the club was over they made announcements (I didn't understand a lick of them) and I walked to the station with some of the club members and then worked on my homework at MISH. Thursday was a busy day with classes all day. Besides enjoying all the classes I mentioned last week nothing very exciting happened. Though I am struggling to get things from the professor since I am still not officially registered for the classes (not my fault I swear). Friday I had one class but it was a very exciting day because I was heading out to Nara that day! After my class I rushed back to MISH and packed a quick bag and headed to the train station to take the famed bullet train of Japan (its called the shinkansen in Japan so I am going to call it that). At the station I got to try my first official bento (boxed lunch) and waited for my friend Shika. After some brief confusion about were the other was we were able to board the train together. While the ride was exciting I will admit I took a nap. I had planned to work on homework but the train went so fast that I got motion sick trying to read. After another regional train to officially get us to Nara (the shinkansen only went to Kyoto chichis an hour from Nara) we hurried to our AirBnB so we could rest for our first exciting full fay in Nara! I am going to make a separate post for Nara so look forward to that soon! Thank you for reading! (The picture is from the Pokemon center in Yokohama which I quickly went to Friday to buy a new phone case and do some shopping it was cool but the blog was already too thick to get into detail about it) ((The other is of my shinkansen ticket and the platform before the train came). 

Day 22: The Magic of Tokyo Disney Sea!

Hello everyone! I am sorry again for the delay on these blogs school is taking up a lot fo my time so I might not always update on the exact day as I did in the past. Anyway this Sunday I planned to go to Tokyo Disney Sea (there are two parks in Tokyo Land and Sea) with some other international students. From what I had read it had seemed like a good weekend to go. Little did I know that a good weekend to go is still crazy busy! I left my dorm at 5:30 am and managed to get to the line in Disney at 7:00am and there was already a line! I really didn't care too much though since the journey there was nice and I was sucked up into the Disney ambiance. While I waited I made conversation with my friend Kevin (the only international student willing to leave with me early in the morning) and tried to work on my reading for my International Law class like a good student. I also learned that people in Japan take their lines very seriously. As the gates started opening people started running to get the fast passes for their favorite rides (or enter other lotteries I'll mention later). I myself made my way to Toy Story Mania the most popular ride at Disney Sea and by the time I had gotten there was already another line forming to get the fast passes. From what I heard from my other friend that they ran out of fast passes about thirty minutes after the park opened (just to give you a frame of reference to how crazy busy a "normal day" is. After we had secured our own fast passes we made our way to the other rides we wanted to ride. The whole time I was admiring how beautiful and detailed the entire area of the park was. Whenever you walked into a new area it really felt like you were at the place they named it after. The first ride we went on was s simple ride called 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It was pretty interesting briefly recreating the story of the famous novel in a ride where you felt you were underwater (not really it was screen). The funniest part for me was the narration was entirely in Japanese (what else can you expect from a Japanese theme park?) so Kevin and I never had any idea what was going on. After that ride we made our way to Mermaid Lagoon (also known as Ariel's Grotto). I felt like a little girl again seeing the world of Ariel come to life before me, though the area was mainly for little little kids so the few rides we went on were very underwhelming. I still enjoyed the feeling I got from seeing the world of one of the few ginger Disney Princesses. After Mermaid Lagoon we wandered around bit until the other group finally arrived. While we waited I got in line for the famous Alien Mochi (it's mochi in the shape of the alien from Toy Story) and also had an apple tart in the shape of Mickey. They were both fantastic but I especially love the mochi. After that I briefly separated from the group as they went to ride the more thrill seeker rides and I did some shopping and rode the Gondola around the Harbor. I then made my way to the areas of the park I hadn't been to yet. I eventually meet back up with Kevin to go finally redeem our fast passes for Toy Story Mania. Before that though I tired to enter the lottery for Big Band Beat (the best show in all of the Disney parks from what I had read). In Japan their society is based on situational equal opportunity by randomly selecting tickets fr the show by lottery no one could truly be upset if they didn't get it. I was a little smart and used my group's tickets to earn myself two tickets to Big Band Beat! After the lottery we made our way to the fast pass line. Toy Story Mania was such a fun and creative ride! Technically there is the same ride in other parks but I had never been so seeing the sets and everything for the first time was enchanting. The ride was a shooting game with 3D glasses. My competitive side came out strongly and I managed to win by a pretty big margin (though my accuracy was terrible). After that we got lunch at a restaurant on the American Waterfront. I tried my best to avoid food I could had in the US and had curry which was really good. After lunch Kevin and I split ways again since he had more fast passes to use and I went to the last area of the park I had yet to go to the Arabian Coast (the other areas I ha already walked through). There I rode on a two story Carousel which even as a an adult I an never deny and walked around the different shops. As I was leaving that area I ran into Jafar. He was the first character I had a chance to meet so I decided to stay and try and get a picture with him. I waited a pretty long time as he meet and messed with the kids and far more enthusiastic girls around me. Eventually he picked me out of the crowd for a picture. Now I decided that this was the perfect time to practice my Japanese and unleashed all my polished Japanese on him. Jafar was so impressed he gave me a kiss on the hand and we posed romantically together. I guess the only romance I can get is with Disney villains. With the wait time I had left I watched some street performances in the different parts and even saw the famous Easter show from a distance (they take Easter very seriously here). I then meet up with Kevin again to explore around as we waited fro Big Band Beat we rode a fun little express train for a few minutes, and then explored a private ship that was sitting in the harbor. The most interesting part was the castle we found. Inside were all these cool activities based on medieval times. You could pilot boats, examine the solar system in an observatory and so much more. We got so wrapped up i the castle we were almost late for being early to Big Band Beat. Which if we had not gotten there early it would have been big trouble for me. See I had actually won the lottery on my other friend's ticket and I didn't know that you had to have the winning ticket to enter. I nearly didn't get in but the very nice curator made an exception for me since Kevin had won on his ticket. I am so glad it all worked out because Big Band Beat was an amazing show! It was supposed to be a tribute to American jazz and I honestly got whiplash from all the different songs and how suddenly the sets and costumes changed. It was also pretty funny seeing the iconic Disney characters get involved (Mickey had a rad drum solo at the end). After the show we made our way to the Harbor to watch Fantasmic the night how Disney Sea puts on. It was honestly amazing. Unlike other Disney shows that are restricted to a stage this show used the whole harbor as its stage using water, lights, boats, and fancy electronics to put on a no pun intended fantastic tribute to iconic Disney movies. After the finale we all headed back to Totsuka to try and get some rest before school. Actually that was jus the the others went out to eat. Wow this was a long one, thank you for reading if you made it this far. I'll update later in the week with fun things that happen this week,

until next time!