Makuhari Tour

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I don't expect anyone to be reading this... it's to help my memory years from now when i look back, so i apologize for boring you in advance.

So... it's 12:31 AM in Japan and I'm not sleeping. That's because, at around 5:10, I decided to take a nap and woke up about an hour ago... and thus I missed dinner and now i'm here stealing free wifi. The doors to this place lock after 11 so if I leave to go into the rain I can't come back in.

Breakfast was good, miso, cooked salmon, rice and seaweed. Had breakfast with Patrick, a business major? from Penn State. A lot (3) of business majors trying to expand their realm of influence.

Then there was morning session of passports, post offices, atms and self introductions. Apparently if I leave the country during my stay and don't get this reentry permit for 3000 yen, they will rip my student visa out of my passport when i leave the country and i have to go through this whole procedure to get it back once i come back. So let's not make that mistake.

On the note of self introductions, i really want to work on getting my memory back... i can normally remember names and details very well but there was a point when i decided i didn't care anymore .... but now it affects all corridors of my memory so i need to start caring again. Besides, it's better to kno more rather than less.

What was cool though was the tour of... Makuhari (can't remember the name). We are the Chiba prefecture which i think surrounds Tokyo but the area looks semi metropolitan. Much like Hartford where there are skyscrapers but not too many people. (Much safer though I would assume) We went as a group with some Epal volunteers, my epal's name was Misa. At one point I asked her about sexual harassment on the subway... and she said it wasn't that bad and that it never happened to her. It was raining the whole time, and cold but not too bad, good rain jacket to block the wind.

I had a really good time with my epal, really fun to speak Japanese... or at least try to. It was funny, i fooled some people into thinking i was actually an epal cuz of my asianess and me looking like i can speak japanese. To be honest, it takes so much effort, i barely knew what we were talking about. Let's see what i can remember about her... she asked me about semesters, apparently here the school year starts in April, so she's starting her sophomore year and she's 19. She's doing hotel management (or something of the sort) and works at Tokyo Disneyland.. free pass? =D She's going to Florida next year to visit Orlando studios, and got really excited when I said I came from New York.. with the tall skyscrapers and her birthday is November something... she remembers mine... darn.

We went to the food court in this mall and it was funny cuz all of the international students (omg... that's what i am...) got ramen, and two of our three epals got a taco/gyro thing with fries. In my group was Colin (spelled with one L, he likes spicy food and can has two years of Japanese) and Kevin (a guy who can't speak Japanese but is half Japanese) and a girl... and I feel bad i can't remember her name at the moment.

Oh the supermarket here is HUUUUUUUGE. It has a bookstore, electronics a full vegetable section (with all pre packaged vegetables unlike the asian markets in NY where you have to bag it yourself and the vegetables are all brown)

i witnessed a baby bamboo today... it looks like... taro packed in a corn sleeved thing.

everything there was really white inside the supermarket or "supa"

oh and then we came back and i got a cellphone that's free incoming calls and text form anywhere in the world! and of course mobile to mobile... the company is called piccell.

then i fell asleep... and now i'm here. goodnight.

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