More School

There is really not much else going on.  Things have started to settle down and a routine is in place.  Not much else is really happening to make anything new and exciting.  It rained today, if you can even call it that  The light drizzle of what feels like spit can't really be called rain.  Although, the people here seem to feel the need to open their umbrellas and run to their destination.  What I experienced on Saturday, that was rain.  This? No, this is not rain.  I am from Arizona, so I know rain.  This moisture in the air is not rain.  It just makes things feel humid.  Japan does have a dendancy to suddeny starting having heavy rain without warrning so it's always a good idea to have an umbrella with you incase of a surprize.  I forgot mine today, but it never really rained hard so it was ok. 

I didn't want to get out of bed today.  Sleeping just felt so nice and that is all that I really wanted to do.  It took me a good 30 min from the time that my alarm actually went off until I got out of bed.  And thus we come upon the reason the umbrella was forgotten today.  I still made it to class with 10 minutes to spare.  Now all you people back in the United States, unless you live in New York City, I want to hear no complaining what so ever of traffic or there being a lot of people in one place.  You guys don't even know the first thing about traffic.  Holy moose cakes.  Still haven't figured out how so many people can live in such a a small area.  U never see the same people twice.  EVER.  It just is not possible.  You can run into your friends because they are staying in the same hotel but anyone else? Nope, it just does not happen. I say this because I left during rush hour today.  I normally leave 45 minutes until classes start to avoid rush hour but because I left 10 minutes later than I usually do, I got to hang out with all the other late goers in Japan.  That was a mistake.  The fact that they can even call shoving that many people into the trains as safe is slightly questionable.  I now know how there can be gropers on the trains when it's crowded.  With everyone being so close together, there is no way anyone would be able to see a person touching someone inappropriately.  Fortunately, they have all female cars.  An American guy got on this car today.  I don't think he knew that it was a special car just for women.  I didn't know who he was or I would have said something, but he did get dissapproving glares his entire trip.  And when a Japanese person glares at you, its like the most creepy experience.  It makes you feel like they are reaching into your soul.  It's really scary.  You don't want to be glared at by a Japanese person.  

So at school there was a lecture, then a break, then a another lecture.  And this time the cafeteria was open, but there was nothing but fried chicken and beef ramen.  Oh goodie, nothing I can eat.  So I went to 7/11 and took out some cash at the ATM that talks to you.  It creeped me out.  I put my card in and it says "welcome visitor!"  I jumped back because that was really unexpected.  The only noise the ATM's in the US make are "beep, beep."  I didn't like that it says out loud how much money I was taking out.  I guess that's just part of my culture though.  We like to keep money matters private, but I guess in Japan, no one cares.  When the ATM gave me my card back it told me to enjoy my stay in Japan.  It was so weird.  I'm glad nothing talks to you in America.  Even the elevators talk to you here.  That's more annoying than anything.  I don't care what floor I just passed, just open the door when it gets to my number I pressed and let me be on my way.  

After gettting something to eat, I went to the campus book store because I saw someone using the famous erasable pens from Japan and just had to get one!  I got refills so that it will last me for a while.  I may buy more ink refils before I leave so that I can keep using it.  This pen is freakin awesome!!  If you want me to get you one let me know!  Just comment/guest book post/email me what color you want and I'll get it for you.  It's really cheap so dont feel bad.  I also got flash cards that are awesome here too, so that I can practice Japanese on the way to visit my friend in Kyoto and not be completely forgetfull like I was yesterday at the travel center.  >.<

After my brief shopping spree I went to the study center hoping to finish all my homework so that way on the way home I could stop somewhere and just go shopping.  That didn't work out well.  No one would stop talking!  I don't mind the idle chit chat but this was video game playing, hanging out type of talking where everything was really loud.  I couldn't tune them out!  I was trying to read something extremely boring and it's already hard enough to concentrate when it's completely silent, but come one, it's called a study center for a reason, not lets-play-video-games-cuz-the-wifi-is-better center!

On the way home I stopped at Shinjuku to walk around a department store to calm me down because I was really mad angry about them being so loud.  It helped too.  I found a level of the department store where it was just food!  Full of tiny shops of different kinds of food!  One guy saw me and asked me to try a sample of his mochi he made.  He asked me in English so I responded with "Ok, sure!  Thank you."  He then tells me that he can only speak English and cannot understand English.  So the rest of our conversation was me responding in Japanese, and him responding in English.  His mochi was really good, unfortunately it was kind of expensive or I would have bought some.  He understood and thanked me for talking to him.  I found the sushiya (sushi shop) and decided I would buy some.  I couldn't read the kanji on the one that I wanted so I asked the clerk how to read it and all she said was she would give it to me, in English.  I told her that I could speak Japanese but I don't think she believed me.  So I just took my sushi and left.  

I walked around the department store for a while longer then just took the train back home and did my homework.  It really didn't take that long this time.  The readings were quite short and my essay had no length requirements and it won't be graded.  I just have to do 5 of them during the summer session in order to get an A in the class.  The easiest assignment ever.

After homework was completed I had plenty of time to go out and shop some since I had the time.  I also went to buy a crepe again.  Those are so good.  I'm gonna be fat by the end of this program from eating so much.  After finishing my crepe I told the lady that she made a delicious crepe and she got really happy that I even told her that, in Japanese no less.  She kept bowing and saying thank you.  I went to the department store near by and bought some fashionable stockings, well, they are fashionable to Japanese standards anyway.  I decided that I was brave enough to walk further out and explore more of Kichijouji since I had the time.  I found another department store, which was under the JR station, and found the largest book store I have ever seen!  Again they didn't have Vampire Knight.  I'm just gonna have to ask the next time I go to a book store.  Books here are a super cheap, so if I can find a book I want here, then I am going to get it.  

I found some really cool puzzle legos and just had to buy some for my brother-in-law.  I thought he would appreciate a different form of legos. ;)  I also found what they called the Paris store.  I'm not sure why though.  Everything in the store was really funny!  I took some pictures of the things I saw.  Don't worry, I will be posting pictures to this site after the program has been completed, that way I can go through them and only upload some and not all of them.  People will get bored looking at the same things over and over again.  

After going there, I took a different way home and found another book store!  It was closed as are most of the shops in Japan on Mondays.  Sunday is the only day that you can be sure every shop is open.  Most people are off of work as companies close for the day so it is the most busy day and sales are profitable.  So they keep everything open.  On Monday, when everyone goes back to work, they close.  It kind of makes more sense to do things that way.  America should take some pointers from Japan. :)

Anyway, I'm back home now, or back to the hotel, whatever you want to call this place.  I call it home because that's how it feels to me at this point.