Trip to Tokyo

Ok, I know I've been away for a while.  I went home to Ottawa for Christmas and I will write about that soon. I promise. lol

Today I got up at o'dark hundred (5am) and left the house about an hour before the sun came up to catch the 6am Express to Tokyo (Ueno). From there I caught a train to Kanda and then switched over to the Chuo line to get to Hachioji.  I made it to Hachioji a little after 10am and took the bus to my old high school (Junshin).   My principal met me in the lobby and told me "Welcome Home!" lol.  It felt good.  I got to see a few teachers that I remembered and they were all amazed at how much my Japanese has improved. Especially Ayabe Sensei! He actually spent the majority of the time he was talking with me smiling!!! I think, in the year I spent at Junshin, I only saw him smile 3 times!!!  When I told my host mom, she told me he must have finally got married. LOL!!!

Just before 11:30 my principal asked me what my plans were for the day and when I told her that I was heading over to my host family's house, she called my host mom and offered to send me by taxi rather than take a bus.  So the school called a taxi for me and gave me a taxi chit so I wouldn't have to pay. A good thing too...Taxi's in Tokyo are a lot more expensive than in Iwaki!!  The cab fare started at 710 yen!! ($7.10) and went up 90 cents every other minute.  The 10 minute taxi ride (if it was even that long) cost over 17 bucks!  The taxi dropped me at the bus stop near my host family's house and I walked the last 5 minutes or so there. 

Okaasan made Yaki soba for me because she remembered that I love it so much! lol  Yuko wasn't there but her sister Tomoko was and the 4 of us (Okaasan, Otousan, Tomoko, me) ate lunch together and then I showed Okaasan my Christmas pictures and mom's surprise video.  I also showed her pictures of my apartment and Izumi.  We sat around the Kotatsu and talked for a bit and since I wasn't feeling too well (had one heck of a headache) I got a bunch of pillows and arranged them so I could sleep half under the warm kotatsu (a table with a heater built in under the table top and a blanket that keeps the heat under the table).  I slept for about an hour. It was really nice.

At 6pm we went to dinner at the same restaurant that they took me to the first night I stayed at their house 9 years ago and I hadn't been there since.  I love that restaurant! lol The food is amazing. I had sukiyaki! So good!

After dinner and more talking, Otousan dropped Okaasan and me off at the train station.  We checked to see if there were any special express trains heading to Ueno and there was one in 10 minutes. So Okaasan quickly showed me how the south entrance area of the station had changed. It's huge now, full of shops and a music hall! Next time I go we will be taking our time going through there! We also picked a restaurant to go to the next time I visit :)

I caught the 7:54 train and got to Ueno just before 9pm. Then I caught the subway train to Asakusa and promply got lost. lol  So I asked a guy on a bicycle where  kaminarimon-dori (a street) was and he asked me where I was going. So I told him to the temple and he was going there too, so we went together. And we talked the whole way there.  Then in front of the temple we met his friends and Fueda, grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the main gate so he could get a picture with me. Then made me get a picture with my camera too LOL.  Then he somehow talked me into giving him my phone number which he promtly experimented with calling me.  He asked me out to drink with them too, but I told him I was meeting some friends near by. lol.  Meanwhile, the guy who walked with me is trying to get him to knock it off and stop trying to get my number lol.   I'm not really sure what to think. lol

So while I was walking to the hostel I realized that he got my name, but I hadn't gotten his name LOL. oops.  Then I got a c-mail (like a text message) from him thanking me for the picture. I learned that his name is Fueda. 

I got to the hostel alright from the temple. I actually remembered the way from the last time I was here...but when I had come out of the subway, nothing had looked familiar. So I am really glad that I met that guy with the bike. I never got his name either. lol.  oh well.
Chelsea had told the people at the hostel my name so that when I got there they had a key ready for me.  Chelsea had booked a room for two and was tole we would either have 2 twin beds or a bunk bed.  It would be 3,150 yen a person. Turns out we got a room for 6 (3 bunkbeds) to ourselves! lol Nice!

The Flu is running rampid through all the schools at the moment.  The kids are dropping like flies. So far I've been ok, but today I felt kinda off.  I hope it's nothing or that I fight it off without actually getting sick.   I don't think I've ever had influenza before. I know I've had 24hour bugs and stomach bugs...but I don't think I've actually ever had the flu.  Last year a boy at one of my schools died from influenza, so they are taking it extremely serious here.  Influenza is nuts here...probably because the population is so high.  I figure as long as I keep up with the vitamin C and my veggies and get enough sleep I'll be fine.

So now I'm waiting for Chelsea to get back from where ever she is. She was hoping to be here before 10:30 which gives her 7 minutes. lol

Tomorrow we are going to the Science museum in Ueno to see the space exhibit. I've been hearing things about pictures of the Auror Borealis from space. I'm wondering if they will be part of the exhibit.  The exhibit goes until Feb.6th. So I'm glad I get to see it.

Ok, that's it for this report.  Internet is really cheap here. 100 yen for 30 minutes. a dollar! nice! lol