Japan - Day 290

Honsho no nichiyobi - cho mamonaku! (This Sunday - too soon!) ...At least I think that's what I wrote. I can't believe I only have five more days left until I'm voted off the island! It feels like I just got here - like I've only scratched the surface of what Japan has to offer. After finally making the decision to leave, I wish that I could stay.

So how can I sum up my time here? It seems like an almost impossible task. I haven't really been keeping people updated recently, so I'll try to fill in the events of the past little while...

Last week I went to Disneyland in Chiba with my roommate Maki. It was pretty fun, although it seems smaller than the ones in Florida and California. I'm not sure if it's because I'm older now and can cover the park more quickly, or if it's because it actually is physically smaller. At any rate, we still had lots of fun - going on rides like Space Mountain (twice) and watching the Christmas version of the Electric Parade. It truly is "the happiest place on Earth". Haha, okay that may be an exaggeration, but it was fun for a day. It was also fun people-watching there. Seeing grown people walking around with Mickey Mouse ears and Jiminy Cricket hats. Always a good laugh. I also learned that the main food attraction in Japan in popcorn. They love it! It's pretty much the only snack food you can buy at Disney. Salt, butter, caramel - typical flavors. But then you can also buy chocolate, curry, and cream soda. I wasn't too adventurous - I stuck to the salted popcorn.

Last week was also my birthday. Didn't have a huge party - just dinner with my friends Sachiko and Yoshi at a place called the Elephant Cafe in Shibuya. It's a pretty nice place... Pan-Asian cuisine, good atmosphere, although the service is a bit slow. That's okay though, we were able to entertain ourselves with candles and party hats (long story - pictures to come soon!). After dinner we went out for drinks at a standing bar (it's just like it sounds - no seats).

I've also been to a couple of concerts this past month. Twice to see a Japanese punk band named F.I.B. (Fill In the Blanks). Sachiko's friend from Nagoya, Tomoko, is obsessed with them, so she came up to Tokyo to watch them play and invited us to go along. They're pretty cool, and Tomoko's trying to get them famous in Canada/America. I'm gonna do my part by spreading the word around haha. So attention all ye punk fans - check out F.I.B.!

More recently though I went and saw Linkin Park in Saitama. Cho yobai! They were really good - put on a really energetic show! The Japanese fans are so crazy too! Almost as much fun to watch as the band (Example to follow shortly). Yellowcard opened for Linkin Park, as well as a Japanese visual kei band called Dir n Grey. (I'm not sure if that's how you spell their name). I've never heard of them, but apparently they're popular 'cause all the Japanese fans went pretty wild. Case in point: There were these two girls sitting in front of me and if you can picture somebody going to afternoon tea then you can picture them. Frilly dresses, pearl jewelry, fur-lined gloves... The whole nine. For Yellowcard they sat in their seats quietly, hands folded in their laps. But when the next band came on they were going at it full out. We're talking the biggest, heavy-metal head banging imaginable! 90 degrees for sure. Then, again, when Linkin Park took the stage (and when everyone else was out of their seats going crazy) they were sitting, hands folded across their laps. So bizarre. But it's all part of the experience that is Japan.

The past few nights have been spent at karaoke and watching some other friends, Fumiya and Yoshi, playing (guitar) at the station here in Hachioji. They're really good, and my roommate Beth is pretty convinced they're going to be famous one day. I think it's a definite possibility. We've also been spending most of the past couple of days translating one of Fumiya's songs into English. More difficult than it sounds - trying to make it sound good while keeping the original meaning and feeling in tact. Beth's done most of the work, and I've helped a little, along with Daisuke and Sachiko. A group effort I suppose. It's kind of an addictive process too. We started on the second track tonight. We're hoping to have it completed before their live event on Saturday so they can play it.

Tokyo is an amazing city, filled with amazing people. I've gotten to know some really great people in my two months here - I'm really going to miss everybody after I leave.