Update: LOVE ATTACK EVE

So I emailed Matsuyama Teruo to ask him if he would 1) ship his new album to California for me because it won't be released until after I go back and 2) give me the sheet music for some of his songs.

He said yes to both!! I just have to give him my address, and obviously pay for the album, and he'll send it to me! And he gave me the lyrics and chords for Marmalade Sky!! I'm so excited!! And also really mad at myself for not bringing my guitar with me to Japan. I'm contemplating going into a music store and acting like I'm testing out a guitar to buy just so I can play. I had this dream that there would be this small guitar shop in a huge mall and I would pick up a guitar and start playing and people walking by would stop to watch me because I'm THAT cool. haha. I said dream.

The other really cool thing about Matsuyama Teruo, is that I went to the LOVE ATTACK EVE Official Website to see if he had posted anymore music to download, but I clicked on his blog instead of the music page by accident. I was gonna just click the back button, when I happened to see the word "gaikoku" (foreign country), so I stopped to read the entry. Turns out he talked about me in his blog!! haha. I don't know why that makes me so happy. I guess it just lets me know that he was genuinely happy that I came; it wasn't like an act or anything. I'm pretty sure he thought I couldn't read Japanese and that I wasn't going to read his blog, so I can take it as the truth! Here's his entry:

毎日毎時間順位が上がっていく
サマーソニックのオーディションも
ホントに嬉しくて幸せだし
今日の神保町のライブも
ホントとっても幸せでした。

「アー、ラブアタックイブキョウココライブ??」
とMyspaceから知って
わざわざ来てくれた外国の方には
ホントびっくりしたし
数年前に神保町で歌ったとき
たまたま聴いて下さった方が
気に入ってくれて今日また来てくれたことも
とっても嬉しかったし
いつもいつも見に来て下さる方に
やっぱりまた会えたこともほっこりと幸せだったし
何はともあれ
イベント自体ゆったり素敵だったのが
とても良かったのでした。

It basically just says that he was really surprised that someone from another country saw his myspace page and came to see him and how happy he was. Although, he makes me sound like I can't speak any Japanese at all. The quote he attributes to me is just a string of nouns. pout. I didn't talk like that...I hope. Maybe I was nervous? No. I don't talk like that. You can't sway my confidence!! Actually you can and now I'm broken. (T_T)

Anyways, can't wait for his next album!

LOVE ATTACK EVE

Tonight I went to Cafe Flug in Kanda to see my new favorite Japanese singer, 松山テルオTeruo Matsuyama. He goes by Love Attack Eve and has a few albums out and an official website as well as a myspace music page. I found him on Tokyo Gig Guide that had a link to his homepage and I just fell in love with his music and voice and downloaded everything I could get my hands on. I was going to go with 3 other friends, but I got ditched (tear) but went anyways, and I'm so glad I did becasue he was even better in person. Really didn't think that was possible. It's very mellow music, but also whimsical and cute. I love it!

To get there, I got off at the 御茶ノ水駅 Ochanomizu Station and walked for about an hour doing concentric circles until I finally found the place. It took like 7 minutes to walk back to the station from the cafe once I knew where I was. I got very lost. haha. Luckily, since I had never been to Ochanomizu, I had gotten there about an hour early to do some tankenshiyo-ing (exploring), so I didn't miss the show. I just missed out on my tanken.

When I finally got there, there were two guys waiting outside with CD's on a table. I asked one of them if it was where Love Attack Eve was playing, and the guy looked really surprised and said, "That's me." So I started talking with him!! He was really nice and really excited that I had come just to see him. He was really happy when I told him that I had gone to his myspace page and listened to his music. When I got there, another group was playing, Acoustic Soft Parade, and he said that he would be playing in about 30min. So I decided to buy a CD right then.

At this point, I've been listening to his music almost everyday on the train so I know my favorite songs and even some of the lyrics to some of them. So I was looking at the CD's and I saw a song on one that I recognized and really liked. It's called マーマレイド空 or Marmalade Sky. It's a really cute song! I love it so much! When I told him he got really happy. He just kept saying "happy" a bunch of different ways: "幸せ," "嬉しい," "ハッピー." haha. I like to make people happy. (^-^)

I ended up buying this album:

and he signed it for me! And he didn't just sign it. He drew a little picture of me!

It says, "To Watanabe Hiroko. LOVE ATTACK EVE" and then the date.

Then of course, he started performing. It was so great. I really love his voice and he's a pretty good guitar player. He did a lot of finger picking and some hammer-ons and had unexpected chord changes. I really like this guy if you can't tell.

But wait, it get's better! He went out to his car during the break to get the music for the song that I had said I liked, Marmalade Sky! He even took his guitar with him around the corner to practice. I only know that because he showed me the chords and lyrics and said he would play it for me, but he hadn't played it in a long time so he was gonna go practice a bit. "ちょっと練習します。" he said with an embarrassed smile.

I guess it was a really old song, because before he played it, he told everyone, kind of embarrassed, that he had written it maybe 10 years ago when he was either a junior high or high school student and that the lyrics were a little sophomoric and cute. I'm so happy he went through all that trouble just to play the song for me!! I love it! It's the corny and cute-ness that I like about the song. It's really innocent.

And now, just because I love his music so much, you can listen to it here:

My favorite song of his: 夕立

My 2nd favorite song and the one he played for me tonight: マーマレイド空

And now just a bunch of songs I love in no particular order. This is me restraining myself too. I didn't actually upload ALL of his music.

家路

猫と緑側

日々のらせん

冬街

夕焼け

通り雨

流星ジェット

Candle Night

I really want to see the Rockabillies and crazy Harajuku fashion people who hang out at Yoyogi park, but they are only there on Sundays! I was so excited for last Sunday to come, but then it did and it rained. It rained all day. A lot. Sad!

So I decided to go anyways but found that no one was there, as I had suspected. Wouldn't want to get our picture taken with our makeup dripping now would we. But, I did stumble upon an Earth celebration because apparently it was the Summer Solstice. (It was also Father's Day, but it wouldn't be Father's Day in California where my Dad is until really late that night for me. I wasn't neglecting my Dad. promise.)

But Harajuku was pretty much boring. I walked through Yoyogi park and no one was there save for a few old people in ponchos doing tai chi or something. But I found myself at Yoyogi station and spontaneously decided to go to Roppongi just because I knew that the Oedo Subway line at Yoyogi would get me there. Here's the grand Roppongi Hills Mori Tower in all its grandness!

It's crazy how tall it is. It disappears into the mist a bit. And then just outside that is this funky spider-like statue that reminds me of a Miyazaki film. Oh! like the old guy who works at the bottom of the bath house in Spirited Away! I don't know. I took a picture because it's famous. And also huge and creepy.

The main reason I decided to jump on the subway to Roppongi is because I was missing American food. I didn't think that was even possible!! American food is icky!! Well, compared to Japanese food it is.

Roppongi is like the gaijin mecca of Japan. It's the mother ship that no one told me about. I'm like ET. Totally got left behind there. All the store clerks and cafe staff speak at least a little English, you can get hot dogs and giant slabs of steak here, and there are a ton of gaij around every corner. So, naturally, I got a bagel.

Doesn't that look like the tastiest bagel in all the world?!! Maybe just for me because I have a crazy love affair with bagels and I've been separated from my love for so long.

All and all, I don't think Roppongi Hill is all that interesting. I mean, Mori Tower is pretty cool because you can go up to the top and get a 360 view of Tokyo, but I didn't do that because it was raining and so cloudy I wouldn't have been able to see anything. Mostly Roppongi Hills is just a really huge, fancy shopping mall with nothing but designer stores. It's great if you want to buy a $300 purse, but I didn't so much.

So I went back to the station, which is connected to Roppongi Hills, and was about to buy a ticket home when I saw a sign that said, "Tokyo Midtown ↓" so off I went to see what this Tokyo Midtown was all about.

Turns out, it's another huge shopping center that has an underground walkway connecting it to Roppongi Hills. Only it's cooler. Yes, definitely better. I don't know why, I just like it better. Probably because I happened to go there right in the middle of a huge event.

Seems I stumbled upon "Candle Night," which is this huge even where people light candles and turn off the lights for a few hours to conserve energy. I think it was in honor of the Summer Solstice. People were writing their wishes on the outside of these cups and then putting a candle inside of them.

I decided to stick around until night when they were all lit up. Also, they were having some live music. This girl with a really beautiful voice was singing ballads. Her name is Kumaki Anri and I bought her newest single that had these three songs on them, the first three songs she sang that night: kimi no namae, inori, tsubasa.

Yesterday I was near Ginza and I actually heard "kimi no namae" playing on a big TV screen as I was crossing the street so I guess she's kinda popular? I really liked her in person; her voice is really angelic and kind of sucks you in, but I'm not sure if I like her recorded songs that much. It's the same songs, but she was so much more captivating in person. (I also was really excited that I understood almost all the lyrics of the song "kimi no namae." Yay! Although, that probably means that her lyrics arn't that original since I knew all the vocabulary...)

And here's what the candles looked like all lit up. My camera isn't that good with night shots, but it still looks really pretty. The mist is so thick that the huge building in the background is half invisible. haha. That band of light continues up quite a ways but you can't see it.

I tried to take a picture with flash, but it just got all the rain drops falling. I think it's pretty cool though. Looks like snow.

There's something kind of magical about having thousands of candles around you. Also, the fact that they continued to burn even after being continuously rained on is somewhat poetic, no?

You actually had a pretty good view of Tokyo Tower from the grass where the candles were so I took a picture of it through the trees. It came out blurry so I was going to take another one, but the second after I took the picture, all the lights went off!! I was so lucky!! I guess Tokyo Tower was also participating in Candle Night by turning off the lights and saving electricity. Literally, the second I hit the shutter button the lights went off. It's was really quite spooky. Just stumbling upon a huge event like Candle Night is kind of spooky. I really am just the queen of coincidences. Guuzen-sama. ^^

Yuugin

Hey look what I found. That group I saw at Nakano station yesterday made a music video!!

They also have an official website and a ton of music out!!

Lucky Discoveries

I'm still really sick, surprisingly, but I'm getting bored. I can't stop coughing, but I REALLY don't want to be in my apartment anymore. I'm in Tokyo!!! How can I spend the whole time in bed?!! (Even if it is a futon and not a bed and the futon is in Tokyo, which is really cool) So I drugged myself up and forced myself to go out.

I didn't do much at first, just walked around the area around my apartment, you know, getting to know the place. And to my great surprise, right around the corner, litteraly, is a cute little temple! It's actually not that little. It's kinda large.

Here's the entrance. Behind me is a super market and convenience store. Haha. Crazy juxtaposition.
Then you walk in and are greeted by this lovely thingy:

Along with this thingy:

And then this thingy, which seems to be the main part of the temple because people kept going up the steps in the back and praying and lighting incense and candles at the thing in front and praying.

Then there's a giant bell thingy:

And a large, ermmm, probably about 8ft tall statue thingy:

And right before you leave, this place that looks like a cemetery of sorts:

So I keep saying "thingy" because I have no idea what these things are or their significance. So I walked up to the guy who was selling charms off to the side next to the main shrine thing and asked where the hell I was. He looked at me funny and said, "tera desu," which means "It's a temple [stupid]." I added that last part. Anyways, I then explained that I was from America and had just moved to the area and I was tankenshiyo-ing, or exploring. (haha. yay Japanglish!) Then he gave me less of an "ahou-ka?-look" (that means an "are-you-an-idiot?-look") and started explaining things in really easy Japanese and I had absolutely no problem understanding him! I understood EVERY WORD he said!! That usually doesn't happen to me. Usually I just understand most of it or enough of what they say to get the general meaning of the sentence, but this time I fully understood everything he said!! Yay for small victories!!^^

But what's really weird about this whole thing is that it turned out to be a temple that people go to when they or their loved ones are sick. Crazy guuzen going on here. (guuzen = coincidence) So I bought this:

It's a little charm that's supposed to make me feel better and guess what?!!! After a while, I realized that all the sudden I DID feel better. How weird is that? I'm not going saying anything about my beliefs, but isn't it a little strange that I've been sick for almost two weeks now and all the sudden at feel-better-temple falls in my lap and the charm I buy makes me stop coughing? May the guuzens continue.

So instead of going back home, I keep tankenshiyo-ing. So I went out the opposite entrance to the temple that I had come in and crossed this cute little road right there where the little white lines are and found this great park!

Isn't it cute?!! It's really big too. It even continues across the street. The great thing about Nakano is that besides the park, the whole place is filled with trees! Here's the view of the street from a crossing bridge:

The whole place looks like this! Anyways, continuing on with my little tanken, this is the park on the other side of the street:

There's this little green pond with a ton of old guys fishing in it! Cute!

And I'm not kidding about there being trees everywhere. Look at this road. It's just a random road in my neighborhood not at all associated with the uber green park I just showed you:

It's really a nice place to live. Very residential. If I were to chose a place to live in Tokyo, this would be it, and I know I DID chose Nakano to live in, but I really just chose the cheapest apartment I could find and it just happened to be in Nakano. Another guuzen, a happy guuzen. ^^

But there is one area of Nakano, it's a really large area of Nakano, that is really close to my apartment that is filled with stores. It's like the shopping district of Nakano I guess and it starts at Nakano station and goes north.

Looks like this at a VERY unusually uncrowded time. I don't know why there aren't more people there; it's usually pretty filled with people.

It's called Ai rodo, or Love Road. Also cute, deshou?

Here's a little shop I found. The charm was really working, so I just kept shopping. Those look like flip flops, but they are really hard candy!! Crazy!! Needless to say I had to enter.

And enter I did and found these guys:

They were making the candy right in front of me! It was so cool!! This one looked like tiny lemon slices. While I was watching them, this nice lady gave me a sample of a strawberry one.

Also cute!!! I live in the cutest place ever!! I might go back and buy some stuff right before I leave as omiyage...

Then right across from that candy store, which is called papabubble by the way, is this weird little shrine looking thing. They're really big fans of juxtaposition, these Nakano people.

Here's another shot of Ai Road so you all can become very intimate with it. Or because I was having fun taking pictures every 5 seconds.

So this charm was really working wonders or I was just feeling a lot better from being outside or whatever, and decided to go to Harajuku to buy my sister these glasses that she wanted and go to Shibuya to shop at Loft to get my mom these pen/pencil combo thingys that she wanted. So I'm at Nakano station buying my ticket when I see these guys at the corner.

Sorry the angle's bad and the sound isn't great and you can only see the one guy, but tough. Also I'm not really holding the camera all that steadily but I wasn't watching the camera, I was watching them. haha. Also, I'm kicking myself for not filming the song they did earlier because I kinda liked it better. It was more upbeat and they were both playing the guitar. I don't know why the guy in front put his down for this song. Anyways, right before they sang this one, they were explaining that they have a live soon in Harajuku, but it was too fast for me. So, and I'm super proud of myself for this one, after this song, it was their last one, I went up to the guy in the front and told him that I don't really understand Japanese that well, so I missed the time and place of their gig and would he please write it down for me.

He was so happy!! He was super cute and just elated that I would want him to do that. It was so funny. So he wrote down the place and time, they are playing at アストロホール (Astro Hall) in Harajuku at around 6:00pm on June 20th. I also asked their name and he got really happy again. They are called 遊吟（ゆうぎん）"yuugin" and which I think means something like a troubadour or wandering musician or something of the sort. haha. I asked him if he had a CD, and then he got really excited and spoke Japanese really quickly but I think he said that he didn't have one with him today, but I could get one at a store either now, or in the near future. I think they had just put it out or are just about to. Then I said goodbye and he shook my hand with both of his, looked me right in the eye and said "thank you" really earnestly. haha. I think he was new to Tokyo. I really hope I can go!

Then I finally made it to Harajuku. This is the famous Takeshita street:

Where I did not buy my sister glasses because I couldn't find any. Instead I bought these earrings:

They're cute, right? Then I walked from Harajuku to Shibuya, went crazy in Loft and spent a ton of money, but also got to check off a lot of people on the "have to buy present for list," so all in all a pretty successful shopping trip. Then I went home, and when I was walked back to my apartment, all the sudden I couldn't stop coughing again. People were kinda staring. oops. But I got home and shoved my face with medicine and cough drops so I'm ok now. I guess the charm has a time limit. Like cinderella.

So let's recap, shall we? I luckily discovered:

-a temple for curing sickness

-a wonder charm that temporarily cured me so I could have a really nice day

-a cute little park, complete with pond

-a super cool candy shop

-a really good, undercover, indie Japanese music group with a cute, uber earnest guy (and also my future boyfriend)

-nice earrings

Today was pretty lucky. (^-^)

What I Do When I'm Sick

So I'm really sick. Which sucks because I'm in Japan, but I've made the most of it. I've spent the day online on my various networking sites such as facebook, twitter, flickr, emails, etc and this blog. BUT! I also was researching things I can do when I'm finally well again.

I found out that one of my favorite Japanese bands of all time RADWIMPS is playing in Yokohama as I'm typing this out. Here's my favorite song by them:

It's green. ^^

AHHH! Sucks!! I want to go see them so badly!! It's just as well. Would have cost me ￥5,000 or 50 bucks. They were playing here which looks like a pretty cool venue. Checked it out on google maps and aparently it's only about a 52min train ride from my station. Not bad. I mean it is, but not for some of the people they get.

I'm actually contemplating going all the way down to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka in a week to catch their last show before they fly off to Okinawa. That's how much I love RADWIMPS. That's more than 2 hours away. That'd be very hard, but doable. hmmm....

I changed my mind. THIS is my favorite RADWIMPS song:

Now it's red. I'm having fun with youtube today and their array of color choices. I'm sick and bored so leave me alone.

I also found the next band I wanna go see. Soon as I can figure out when their next live is, I'm SO GOING!! Watch! They're so funny!!

I made it yellow just for funsies.

But arn't they great!! I might just have to buy their album and have them sign it. It'll just take some crazy investigative research. I mean, Aloha, Soulkids, and 24 were good, but I bet a live with these guys is just super fun. Right?

I dont' know if I've posted this before, but one of the best tools I have here for finding live music in Tokyo is through Tokyo Gig Guide. Anyone in Tokyo should really check this out.

Ick. I hate being sick. I just look at all the things I could be doing if only I could stop coughing every few seconds. wah. i whine. :(

Swollen Feet

Last night I went to a club called O-nest in Shibuya to see some live bands playing. Sam and I went, but we also met up with Joe, another friend from UVM who's studying abroad at Aoyama Gakuin right now. There was no cover charge, but you had to buy two drinks, and you had to buy two drinks from a special place, which we didn't know, so we ended up buying three drinks. Oh well. It would have only been $10 but instead it was $15. Still, that's pretty cheap for three live bands.

The first band was Soulkids and is the reason we went at all. I saw their myspace page and really liked their music, but they weren't that wonderful live. They were good, but not nearly as good as they are on their albums and music vids. They were the openers though, so it only got better.

Next was this really cute group called Aloha. They were really happy and whimsical in they're music. I really liked them. The lead guitarist was really good too. Kept thinking my dad would like him because he was obviously a blues guitarist. The whole band was rock, but had a lot of blues influences and also some Hawaiian island music themes, hence the name Aloha I'm guessing. I also really liked them because they all wore funky hats. ^^

They were also really good performers, not just good musicians. They got the crowd singing along too (me) "yume no naka made!" I guess they had just moved up to Tokyo recently from Fukuoka. I'm telling you this because they were telling the crowd IN JAPANESE and I understood it!!! Yay Japanese!!

For the last band, everyone suddenly moved up to the front so it was pretty clear that everyone was there to see them. They were called 24, pronounced two four, not twenty four, to my dismay. oops. way to not be in with the cool kids Hiroko. They were by far the best. They were pretty much strictly rock, but they had this huge 15 min or so jam session in the middle of the show. It was so cool! They gave the drummer, lead guitarist, and bassist solos, had the strobe lights on, it was pretty cool. They are all really good musicians too. Soulkids music was nice to listen too, I like the lyrics and melodies of their songs, but 24 are just really talented musicians. The drummer was my fave. He was pretty funny. Kinda crazy. haha. Would have taken pictures, but they wouldn't let us. poo. You'll just have to be satisfied with the wonderful image I have painted with my word-skills.

But! I had walked all around Nakano and Shibuya before we went to O-nest and the club was standing only, and I had decided that wearing heels was a good idea. So now my feet are swollen. Literally. Kinda puffy-like. Not cool. Worth it.

Guess what we were doing in Nakano? Getting an apartment! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have finally managed to secure and apartment. It's getting refurbished right now, but we're moving in Saturday!!! And the land lord is really nice. He's a really sweet older man originally from Ghana, so no swindling going on this time, I'm pretty sure.

First Few Days of Food!!

So here are my photos thus far. Mostly food. haha. you can see where my interest lies.

First, I went to Harajuku and just kinda walked around. Scopin' the area out. haha. There are vending machines everywhere, which is nice, because it's hot and humid and people get thirsty, and what beter to drink, but what you are losing in buckets: sweat. That's right, I drank the famous Pocari Sweat. It was actually pretty tasty. Better than Gatorade. Gotta get my ions.

Then I was walking around and saw this in a doorway. I took a picture mostly for my dad's benefit. I feel like it's his kind of humor. and mine. ^^

I mean, where else would anything be made? Anywho, I really wish I had taken a picture of the whole street that we walked because it was crazy busy and stuffed full of more stores than there was room for. Forgot though. oops. Too busy with the actual shopping.

When Sam and I got exhausted, we sat down in this cute little cafe type place and I had a "mixed berry vinegar iced tea." vinegar. weirdness. It was so weird that I had to try it, and it was super tasty!! You have no idea. And there were little berries at the bottom!! Cute! Sam got a macha thingy.

Side note: this was the best spot for people watching. Harajuku style is so funny. but in a cool way. It's cool on other people, not so much me. Not that I didn't try. All the girls, not just in Harajuku, wear their hair right on the very top of their heads with little scrunchies....I may have bought a scrunchie.

Then I saw this shirt on a stand in the middle of Harajuku. It says, in bright neon pink I might add, "ore ha homo jyanai" or "I am not a homo." Then I asked the guy if it was ok for me to take a picture of it....IN JAPANESE!! Woohooo!! Look at me and my Japanese skills!! So I did and there's the picture. good story.

Next we went to Shinjuku, which is the largest JR (Japan Railways) station. 'Twas crazy busy. Looks like this from the station:

It was way cooler at night, but I was too busy being hit on by hosts to take pictures. True story. I'm gorgeous. They can't help themselves.

Then I went here:

and ate this:

Tasty looking, no? Less than 5 bucks! And it has a little croquet in it! I love those!! It was a really weird set up, the restaurant. It was kind of like how Japanese high school cafeterias work. You walk in and there are these little vending machine type things where to put in money and get a ticket for what meal you want. Then you bring the ticket to the cook guy at in the back, sit down and eat your delicious food. efficient.

The next day we had breakfast around the corner from where we're staying in Koenji at a place called Mister Donut. Look what I got!

Aren't they cute! They're little donuts that look like hamburgers!! Here look again:

Bam! Cute little donut hamburgers close up. And here's a little chart they had up on the wall telling you what's in them. The pink one that I think is supposed to look like tomatoes is strawberry jelly and strawberry whipped something or other, and the green one is macha (green tea) jelly and whipped stuff. And there is a chocolate bar for the hamburger meat and donut buns!! So cute! And only $1.68 for two! Only in Japan, land of the cute people.

Right after, for real food, I got a tekka maki (tuna roll) for about $1.30 literally 10ft away at this place:

The lady was so cute and old and nice! And this is what I stuffed in my mouth:

Then Sam and I went to Takadanobaba, which for the record, officially has the best name in all of Japan, to check out an apartment. It's in a really cute residential area, but it's really expensive. We're going to look at two others and then decide. This little escapade (and I call it that because it was really hard to find, but I got to ask a nice old man running a convenience store for directions IN KEIGO and felt super proud and happy afterwards) was followed by delicious curry with calamari on top. I love Japanese food. No, I love cheap Japanese food. I could seriously spend my whole life in Tokyo I think.

Then we went to Oimachi station to meet someone who was taking an English lesson from me. We got there like 1 hour and a half, 2 hours early, but we were both pretty tired, so we just chilled out in this cute little garden type place by the central exit to the station. It was really nice weather, and then these guys started playing really relaxing music. One guy was on the semi-acoustic guitar and the other sang and played the piano. I liked them so much that I bought a CD and had them sign it for me! You can hear it here. The first one is our favorite. It's the one that got us to each buy the album. They were so nice and I spoke some Japanese to them! I love speaking Japanese. I wish I could do it better. haha.

Then this cute little Japanese lady walked up to me and said she was my student! Yay! She is a newlywed and so sweet. We hit it off really well and had a really wonderful English lesson. We were at a little cafe inside the station and at the end of the 50min, she hadn't finished her tea yet. She was really surprised that the 50min had gone by so quickly too. So, we just continued talking until she finished her tea, in English and Japanese, and then left really pleasantly. I think this is going to be really good. We're going to meet every Tuesday evening at $15 each. Pretty good for my first experience teaching English in Japan, no?

So I was on such a high after that. That's my dream you know? To teach English all over the world and I'm doing it already at age 19!! The day was just topped off perfectly with an oyakodon in Koenji by my room.

Also, we've made friends with one of the guys we're sharing the house with. His name is Jonathan and he's from San Francisco oddly enough. He's a little older than us, but really cool and speaks Japanese much better than I do. He's been her 4 months already too, so he's pretty cool to talk to.

There are two other guys in the house. They are both from Sweden, but I've only met one of them and only once. I really only see Jonathan. I really like it here and it will be kinda sad to leave Koenji I think. Maybe not. Depends on how much in love with my apartment I am. ^^

All my blogs are not going to be this long, but Sam and I decided that today was going to be a lazy day of recuperation so I have time to update. I'll try to keep updating, but hopefully I'll be too busy! Ok, bye then!