Rain rain go away...

I see now why I've got to try to blog more often...it's quite hard to write about things that have already occurred (obviously I keep getting my facts mixed up, and I can't remember all the details...plus, it's quite some overload for reading).

First, I'd like to say, I feel really bad for the girl who lives in the room right below mine because I feel like I'm really loud. I drop things all the time...that's mainly it, but it's probably not too appreciated.

Second, results of my placement test were in earlier this week...and I got the class I wanted (Intensive Japanese Intermediate level 3), which I was very happy about. Because it means that I am at the level I think I am at, and as a bonus, I didn't have to go talk to any adviser and deal with having to change classes. I just hate inconvenience.

Third, class starts tomorrow! The Japanese class starts super early at 9:15, and though that's not as early as some 8am classes I've had at UVA, keep in mind I have an hour-long commute to even get to campus, I don't like to be late, rather I like being early and having some time to myself to get settled and ready for class to begin. So the three DK House-ers taking Intensive Japanese (Greg, Natalie, and I) are planning to eat breakfast around 7:20 and aiming for 7:45-7:50 out the door. That may be a bit excessive, but I feel more at ease leaving earlier "just in case", plus we want to scope out the morning rush hour scene and all that. Jeannette and Hunter decided to test for the Regular Japanese classes, which meet half as much as we do or something. Intensive class will be 3 hours every day, which is basically 15credit-hours UVA style, which is near what I would take at UVA. I'm looking to take one other class (the school doesn't advise taking more than that really if you do Intensive) and I haven't decided on it yet. Which feels weird, since I signed up for classes at UVA next semester earlier this week already.

I give up. It's time for pictures.

My school supplies! Daniel took me to this place called Loft in Shibuya which is amazing. It's totally my kind of store, similar to Tokyu Hands too but much prettier. It has school/office/stationary/drawing supplies on the main floor, and some floors have things like interior furnishings, or toys. So I got these 3 animal notebooks for classes and the small blue notebook to put in my purse (I wanted it to write down kanji that I look up throughout the day so I can better remember them, and I may also use it to jot down notes about my day, as my brother just suggested, so I don't have all these problems with remembering what it is I do every day to blog about. Phew.) Then that red thing is a file/folder, but what's cool about it is it's not a pocketed folder (which always rip or don't hold enough paper) nor is it a 2-or 3- hole punch binder (which get annoying when the papers you get in class are not hole-punched. It has this contraption that just clamps down on a stack of paper. (I just took some pictures of it in action, but having trouble uploading to my computer right now.) But basically it's pretty cool, and only a bit over $3, and there were a bunch of different kinds, so I think I want to bring some back to the U.S. Then the pack of stickers...they're actually page labels...you stick one side to the page you want to mark and fold the sticker over. I got piggies.

My bowl of ramen and some gyouza (dumplings), and Daniel gobbling his down yummyyyy, at this restaurant at the top of the Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara. Daniel and I stumbled upon it and apparently the chef who opened it is pretty renowned and the place itself (Chabuton?) is well-rated. It was pretty good, though the gyouza were way tinier than we expected from the picture, and the lady came to offer me an English menu while we were standing outside. Sigh. I was merely checking out the selection and deciding what I wanted and it was just taking some time as I'm...indecisive.

That reminds me. If you haven't read about it from someone else's blog by now, or know about it from your own experience, a lot of restaurants here use ticket-vending machines to order your food, especially if it's a hot-shop style noodle place or something (the school cafeterias use this system as well). There's basically a vending machine with a button for everything on their menu, including ones for making it a bigger size, or side dishes like an egg. You put your money in, press a button, and a ticket with your order comes out and you hand it to someone or put it on the counter. It's quick and effective. And space-saving, because most often the machines are outside, so while you're trying to decide what you want, you're not taking up their limited space inside.

Was waiting for a bus (to Costco...more on that in a bit) and turned around to see a Big Boy! Hardly even see that much in the States anymore...or at least not around me.

Okay, so I should have taken this picture when we first got there when it was still light outside, but I just had to include this. Daniel and his apartment-mate, So-Ky, and I went to Costco! It was a bit aways, in this place called Kaihim-Makuhari after some train transferring and riding a bus, but from what So-Ky told me, there are some others too, but this is the one we went to. It's two floors of stuff, with a large parking garage, which is why it's so huge. You go in, grab a cart, and head up the slanty escalators (designed for carts, so no steps, just a ramp) to the 2nd floor, where they scan your membership card (no just flailing it in the air like the one at home) and give you coupons and things. Then we went back downstairs to do our shopping (the 1st floor is food and the top is the other 'stuff' that Costco sells). It was pretty awesome; layout was very much like back at home, with the bakery/breads in that open space, the wines and freezers and all that. I was tempted to buy so much more than I ended up getting because I wanted it to all fit in one box, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to get it all home, unless I shipped it. But I picked up breakfast things, muffins, bagels, and the Quaker granola cereal I love, and NUTELLA. Even more awesome is that they had a food court, and basically the exact same menu as at home. I was very excited to see some chicken bake(!) and better yet, they had BULGOGI bake (Korean style beef?), so I had to try that, and it was delicious. It was overall very exciting to me. It wasn't that crowded when we were there, but it was also a weekday evening, not like a Sunday afternoon. And the checker at the exit definitely checks for EVERYTHING. I had my stuff all packed up in a box and had the flaps down to seal it and he wanted to make sure that everything was accounted for and checked it all, very unlike the ones I've been to back home.

This was at the famed Tsukiji Fish Market that we went to the morning after(of?) Teresa's birthday celebrating. I'd expand more on that but I feel it'd just exhaust me right now and other people blogged much more detailedly about it with much better pictures. However I will say that I definitely want to go to the market again, but in a different scenario. Instead of staying up for it, I want to wake up super early (catch the sunrise??) and head there groggy, but more refreshed and energized (and dressed more appropriately for the fish water all over the ground) than I was when we went. And then I'd also be able to enjoy the food stands on the way out. It really was some amazing sights and sounds though.