MILES to GO || before I sleep

Tonight after EC, I went with Holly, John, and two of our mutual EC partners, Haruka and Naomi to have some okonomiyaki. Haruka drove, and for someone that's only been driving four months, she was really good! Naomi and I joked that she's like Haruka Tenou from Sailor Moon! But since she drove, we took a different path than from what Holly and I would normally do if we walked or took the bus to the same area, just behind Mito Eki. So alas, even if I went in daylight, I don't know if I could find the place again!

It was a little bit smokey inside, and we had to sit on our knees (ow), but the okonomiyaki was delicious! We had one vegetable one with asparagus and the like, and another one with lots of corn and potatoes.

Afterward, we went to a nearby Namco Land (!) and played some games-- I got myself my first Initial D 3 Japanese card (my American ones wouldn't work, of course; I ended up getting myself a white Integra DCR) and I beat both Itsuki and the guy after him (forgot his name) in one fell swoop! I also played some "Love and Berry," this collectible card-swiping game that's really targeted toward younger girls, but it's fun. I've seen the machines everywhere... and they even have their website in English! The basic premise of the game is, you insert 100 yen and get a card. The cards come in different versions-- outfits, shoes, hair, or "special" (change facial color or hair color). You collect different ones and scan the outfits you have that are most appropriate for a given "stage" (i.e. Idol Stage, Seaside Stage, Street Stage, Fashion Street, Ball Stage). You then dress up to get a certain amount of points, and then try and ADD on to those points by hitting a button to the beat of a song that plays on each individual stage. I failed miserably the three times I played, but after reading the instructions on the English site, I kind of understand now. It's addicting to collect all of the cards, though! (I think I like it because it has to do with fashion. :P I kinda want a Berry icon now...)

I also got two new NANA seal sets-- Hachi and Blast! So far, I've collected them all, but I gave atlantian_magic my Trapnest one. The art of NANA (by Ai Yazawa) is really good, and I might try and make a site layout from the seal artwork. But I accidentally left them with Naomi, so she'll have to give them to me next Wednesday at the holiday party!

We also took some cool Purikura, though decorating them in such a short amount of time (i.e with text, stamps, sparkles, and so on) is difficult! Since there were 5 of us, we printed a sheet of 36, so they're kind of small, but we each got one of everything. I'll scan them in later. :)

Tomorrow I'm going to Tokyo (Shibuya and Shinjuku) with Holly; we're waking up extra-early to catch one of the first trains, but we've got a tight schedule. First is Shinjuku for Gothic Lolita gear and craft supplies; then is the antique fair near Hamamatsucho, and finally, we're going to Shibuya, where they have a Jewish deli and the synagogue (JCC of Tokyo). Since Hanukkah started tonight, I'd like to go to the synagogue or maybe even a service, just to see what it's like here in Japan.

Since we have to wake up so early, I suppose I'd better get to sleep!

Ah, the luxuriousness of the relaxed weekend is almost over! ;_; Whine. And I won't even have much of a winter break, because I've got all of 2 weeks to travel around before heading BACK to school (and therefore finals), and then back to the States, and then starting school one week after that (and work one week after THAT). I look forward to the weekends SO much here in Japan. And it's funny, because that would imply that I'm really busy, but it doesn't FEEL like it. Maybe I am really busy, but things I'm doing have become so routine or mundane that I can't recall them when someone asks "So what are you up to?" or something like that.

Anyway, today I actually decided to get out of the dorms-- yesterday I felt pretty ill, and I slept most of the day, hardly ate, and kept waking up in the middle of the night. Today didn't start much better, as I woke up first with a horrible stomachache, and then a rotten headache. I slept until after 12pm, and when I finally got up, I took some Ibuprofen for my headache, had some pancakes, and decided to go to Daiso to get some CDs, DVDs, and other random necessities. My HD has been filling up pretty fast here-- mostly with pictures and music-- so I've been burning all the NANA anime and Death Note onto DVDs, along with any other movies or things I happen to score. But I need to clear out more space, as I only have a little over 2 GB free now... and this is on an 80 GB capacity drive. WTF?

I also headed to the Mito Eki area, and decided to go to Marui to see if Todd's recommendation about the menswear (as presents) was any good. They did have some cool stuff, but nothing really screamed "Scott would love this!" to me. I did swing into the Virgin Megastore (yes, I was surprised, too) and saw Mika Nakashima (aka NANA from the live-action movie)'s new single for "Hitoiro," but I didn't buy it. Her new album is coming out on the 12th, too (that would be "The End"), and it's really expensive! CDs here are such a rip-off, unless you get old, used ones from Hard Off or something... Still, I do like all the NANA music (live action and anime), so maybe I'll hunt it down eventually... it might be cheaper on cdjapan.co.jp!

Well so anyway, what kind of presents do you get for the man in your life? (Dad, brother, boyfriend, whoever) I've gone through countless gift guides, said no to all the usuals at the Gift Stations (ties, cufflinks, pens, etc), and am STUMPED for ideas. I just think I'm an idiot when it comes to men. (Male friends on my FL, please, feel free to disagree with me. It'll make me feel better. Of course if you don't, it won't make me feel WORSE, but obviously I would appreciate your input A LOT.)

In Virgin, I found a cool magazine oriented toward gaijin folk like myself living in Japan, and it turned out to have some pretty helpful listings of things to do and places to go. For the few days baine and I will be in Tokyo, I know we want to spend 2 days checking out both Disney resorts, and at least some portion of a day hanging out with two other smrffers, Kris and Fin. I don't really think we've decided on specific whens or wheres just yet, though. I do know that I'd like to go to the Ueno Royal Museum for the Dali exhibit, and probably "somewhere cool" for New Year's. Alas, all the clubs having New Year's countdowns are SO EXPENSIVE! And there are some pretty big names coming to Japan, soon (or are already here), like Muse, Eric Clapton, Foo Fighters, etc. ;_; I wish I could afford to go!

I'm thinking next weekend I have to go to Kairakuen for sure (1) just to see it, and (2) because I need to visit a local Mito temple with a "Japanese friend" and report on it for my religious studies class quiz. The following weekend, there will be not one, but TWO antique fairs in Tokyo, so I thought I might go to those, to check out and see if I could find some cool presents for my Dad and Scott. I also have a lot of space in the boxes to fill up for Joyce and for Baba and Grandpa... gah, shopping is hard!

Tomorrow after class, I can't just sleep in, either-- I have to repeat the whole post office --> bank thing, by going to the post office to make a withdrawal, and then going to the Tokyo-Mitsubishi bank to pay the balance on my IACE trip. YAY for that being almost taken care of! Then all I'll have to do is save up for the Tokyo hostel, shopping, food, and transportation in Hong Kong (I bought the JR Seishun 18 Kippu today, so travel in Tokyo is taken care of). I do have to go to Kasumi tomorrow to buy some groceries, and the other night, we went to Coco's for a vaguely expensive (but totally filling) dinner for Holly and Sokei's birthdays... so it's back to yen-pinching, if I want to have a good time. I'm dead-set on having a good time, so it's all about save save save! I would go to Kasumi tonight when I know things will be on sale, but my head is back to pounding and pounding...

( I can't really remember my health ed class that well, so prepare for The Stupidest Sex Question Mer Has Ever Asked! )

Okay, so I've finished watching up to episode 29 (the most current release) of NANA: The Anime, and I'm planning on going to the NANA 2 roadshow on the 9th when it comes out... probably at Uchihara/Jusco, just because I haven't been there before. I don't know how confident I'd be going on my own, but I theoretically COULD go with Christine, Erica, and Jaclyn again (even if that seems to be asking for trouble). Anyway, based on everything I've seen so far, and what I've heard (spoilers for the manga and the upcoming movie), I've decided to post some thoughts... NANA is actually a very good story, all things considered, and I can really relate to Hachiko (which is kind of weird...). Primarily, it seems to be a story about relationships, so there's a lot of my thoughts on that in here.

( Can you feel it now? )

What? What? See that line in my subject? That's not English. But I heard Yuna Ito (of the NANA movie's Trapnest's lead vocalist, Reira fame) spoke very good English. Of course, singers and actors alike just say what they're told when it comes to other works, but I'm hoping it's just a case of me mishearing. So, for anyone who saw NANA the movie 1, can you tell me what line Reira said to the blond guitarist after the Trapnest concert?

I just got horribly spoiled by Wikipedia AGAIN. You know, their spoiler tags really don't do much for me. I just end up scrolling past them and then BAM! "WHAT!? WHO!? ZOMG!" But in truth, it does make me look forward to the parts of the manga and movies that I haven't seen yet (or that haven't come out yet). Same's true for Death Note. :)

Nana also made me realize something that was already told to me by one of the girls in a class I T.A. for-- that in Japan, "smoking is cool." The girl in the T.A. class said that the person she respected the most was a particular musician, and she taught her how to smoke. When she asked me if smoking was considered "cool" in America, I had to be honest and tell her no, it really wasn't-- though I could have gone on and practically preached her ear off.

People can say that the cigarettes here have less tar or whatever in them, but honestly, it doesn't make people's teeth any whiter or their breath any better. I still dislike smokers and smoking. Ironically (or not), one of the Intl. Center workers agreed with me on this; even if we found someone who was good looking and kind, if he smoked, we wouldn't pursue anything.

With movies like NANA portraying smoking as this common, easy, every day thing that's "cool," kids are probably more tempted to try it. And because it's so easy to get cigarettes from vending machines (jidouhanbaiki), nothing stops them-- even the teachers at school smoke, so it's not like when they watch any so-called "educational" anti-smoking propaganda, they have any reason to believe it. It's a real shame. :P

And you know, something else... I want to be able to dream too, no matter how painful it is. I think I can relate more to Nana Koumatsu than I can to Nana Oosaki (but I like Nana Oosaki's personality), and that's why I like the series. :)