Shinagawa Aquarium

The Underwater tunnel at the Shinagawa Aquarium.

As many of you know, I am a big fan of aquariums. a HUGE fan. In fact, I used to go once a week with the boyfriend (Tom of tommyvon.net) to visit some of my favorite sea creatures such as myrtle the turtle. So imagine my dismay, as I had not been to an aquarium in almost a month! Today I remedied this with my friends Alyssa and John and headed over to the Shinagawa Aquarium. While the aquarium is small compared to the Boston aquarium, there are some amazing things to see. I watched a dolphin show as well as viewed some of the largest sharks I've ever seen in real life. The kicker though, was the above pictured underwater tunnel. all i can say is SEGOI! there were sea turtles, sting rays, fish swimming everywhere. I went through twice. There are other aquariums here in Tokyo that I want to go to, but I will probably visit this one again soon.

Other than that, things are going really well. Ive been getting pretty good grades with some effort, and Golden week started this weekend, so my trip to Nikko is coming up! (as in.. we leave in 36 hours) So get ready for some amazing pictures of onsens, waterfalls, and volcanoes... oh yeah. life is good.

Sunday at Harajuku.

Free Hugs.

Went into Harajuku this weekend for a school project. Crazy place, lots of stuff going on, nice things to look at and be dazzled by. We focused mainly on the Meiji Shrine here and were lucky enough to witness a wedding (rare). After the field trip, we split up and hung out in the fashion area for a little while, but didn't stay long due to a previous engagement. By previous engagement, i mean, I had to head over to a cafe for a photo shoot for Kirin beer, one of the premier breweries in Japan. They did hair and make up and then just took pictures for two hours. After the two hours, they served amazing hamburgers and gave everyone involved 10,000 yen (about 100 dollars) amazing! So now I guess I'm a paid international model...? haha, Ill try not to let it get to my head. The pictures will be used and around in July, so I will keep my eyes out for them.

oyasumi nasai!

just a thought.

oh hey, I'm having the time of my life.

xo.

Narita Drum Festival.

Main Event at the Narita Drum Festival.

Went to the Narita Drum Festival yesterday with IES. Pretty amazing stuff and some excellent drumming from all ages. At one point, I would have said the best part of the day was finding this beautiful waterfall in the woods, but on our way back through the waterfall was TURNED OFF. Thus, it is a cheater and so it doesn't count. Last night was karaoke in Tsudanuma, and it will be interesting to see the pictures that came from that... I got some well needed musical bellowing out. Felt good to scream at the top of my lungs because I feel like I've been whispering everywhere else. Japan is so quiet. This Tuesday marks the end of my first month here. Some parts have been amazing, some have been really rough, but thats really all you can ask for. This experience is whizzing by too fast, but I just received news that I will, in fact, be able to attend Northeastern regardless of the fact that my transcript is going to come in late, as well as my diploma. So once I get home, I am moving down to Boston for sure. Alright time to go study for my kanji quiz tomorrow. xo

Ueno Park

The sakura (cherry blossoms) in Ueno Park.

Today I went to Ueno Park to see the last of the cherry blossoms. It was probably the most perfect day to go, with temperatures up and the skies clear. While the picture doesn't describe the beauty of it all, it at least gets the point across. There are temples hidden here and there between the trees and food vendors, as well as partying groups of people sitting on tarps, drinking beer and eating lots of nice smelling food. There is also a zoo in Ueno, and I got to see among many, polar bears, penguins, elephants, gorillas, and large birds of prey. At night, they light up lanterns and the place is transformed. You have to be careful though, because at this point, everyone is drunk and people stumble into you easily or get aggressive. Either way, the experience of sitting on the ground, eating roasted chestnuts, and having the sakura trees pour down it's blossoms onto your face and body will make you think a little differently about the life you have. At least temporarily.

Downtown Tokyo trip.

saki, me, ian, alyssa, and john at the Jodo Shu Main Temple

A few days ago, IES and the epals took us on a field trip into downtown Tokyo. As pictured above, one of the biggest attractions was the Jodo Shu Main Temple. It is incredible. We were lucky enough to witness a supposedly rare Buddhist spring song ceremony. Also, right behind the temple is Tokyo tower, which we also got to go to. This is really the last week of sakura so all the trees are in full bloom, with petals all over the ground. It feels magical and movie like. Needless to say, I am bummed that they are going to shed completely soon and thus, start the rain season. With that, another picture of the area, and I need to begin my new day after a very long (but very awesome) night.

Tokyo Tower peaking through the sakura.

kombanwa.

Tsudanuma at night.

That is good evening in Japanese. Yes, the rumors are true. I am in Japan. As of yet, I don't know if I even believe it. I made some fast friends at orientation, including some Japanese friends, and had a great time. Now I have moved into the dorms and am feeling a little uneasy. Like most new things, it will take some getting used to. I have already fallen into trouble when I lost my dorm key within hours of moving in, but my dorm manager, Kato San, has helped and given me a spare. Regardless I feel foolish, and spent all of today avoiding her.

Today also marks a new accomplishment. I ventured out into town for the first time alone tonight. It is about a 20 minute walk / 10 minutes by bus into town. I walked this evening to time it, and happened upon many strange thoughts along the way. It is an interesting mix between being stared at, and being ignored completely. Also, the town seems to always be bustling, even on a Sunday night, as opposed to American where we prefer to order take out and stay inside. I live in a beautiful little section of town, in the suburbs of Tokyo.



it is very quiet here, other than the occasional alarm, and these strange cars I see with microphones on top. I believe they are selling things, but I don't know for sure. As you can see, the buildings are beautiful and the street lights were just coming on as I set out. I have had a lethal dose of homesickness lately that I would only full admit to my boyfriend, and so I walked into town to buy myself some little sweets. At an earlier trip with fellow IES students, I saw in the grocery fresh pastries that seemed very popular, and I hoped I would be able to find the store myself tonight. My sense of direction is still on, and so I easily found them.



These things are incredible! So far I have only eaten the chocolate one. While many chocolate cakes with creme have filled me up and seemed to weigh me down, this cake was light and airy, and after I finished it, I didn't feel the least full. Amazing! I had to wait the entire walk back to eat them though, as it is very rude to eat in the streets in Japan. Finally I will leave you (I am about to take a hot soak thanks to my new friend and partner in crime, Atsumi who taught me how to turn my hot water on) with a picture I found funny and awkwardly American.



Haha, they are like little golf carts carrying Domino's Pizza. This picture would be better if it were Papa Gino's, but I had no idea Domino's was world wide. Bizarre.

Time for a hot soak before I write my postcards and fall to sleep. Tomorrow I have to head to school in the morning, go through some more orientation stuff, get a cell phone with John and Atsumi, and hopefully find a way to see Alyssa as well after my beginners Japanese class.

oyasumi nasai!
(goodnight!)