Shopping and sneaking into temples :)

We had the clear noodles again for breakfast. I really like them!

During breakfast, on the news, they were doing this show about these awesome things being sold where you get a model of something, like an aquarium was one of them. Then you download this app in your phone or iPad and put that on top and it projects 3D images into the model below!

Like it had 3D fish swimming around the aquarium! Then you can use a second phone in your hand to add elements. Like the guy added a fish hook and then one of the 3D fish ate it, so he swung his phone up as if to reel it in and then the fish appeared on his phone! 

It was sooo cool!

This is a huge thing in Japan right now. A bunch of places had interactive illuminations, where you could swipe a picture on your smart phone and it would appear giant for everyone to see on the illumination!

I was really slow this morning and ended up leaving when Miyabi left at 7:40. Yuko kept asking if I was okay lol.

It was cute. Miyabi gathered with a bunch of other elementary school kids in yellow hats and they all walked to school together. I waved goodbye to Miyabi and got on my bike and speed biked to the station. I made it there in 8 minutes - a new record! But damn my legs hurt.

Annnd I still caught the 7:57 train, whoo! 

I liked this sign on the train:

This morning and yesterday morning I rode the subway with this blind lady. I'm so amazed how she can navigate the trains without being able to see. I'd be so scared! But she moves slowly and follows the people and on the train, she makes sure she stands by the doors.

This morning Emma brought me some manga her host parents had given her that their last host student left. I'm so excited! They look really interesting. I left them at school today so I wouldn't have to carry them when I went shopping, so I'll post a picture tomorrow!

This is my classroom:

(Such a nice view. Good thing I'm not teaching, or I probably wouldn't be able to concentrate.)

I got a 100 on my katakana test and 96 on my actual test, so I'm doing fine with barely studying lol.

We only had communication class since it was Wednesday, so at 11:05, when class got out, I went to lunch with all my friends in 400.

We went to Dagane and I decided to get a bunch of sides rather than the lunch. I think I get a better deal that way since the sides are 100 yen each and a bowl of rice is only 80 yen.

(Yummay)

Emma and Rafael got this dish called oyakodon, which is chicken and eggs and literally means parent and child lol (get it, because the chicken is the parent and the kid is the egg?)

(Oyakodon)

After lunch, everyone except Emma left to go to YKK (one of the dorms), I assume to play video games and stuff. They invited me, but I wanted to go to Sakae. 

I'd been planning on making the long trip to the bank today to cash a check, but the lady in the CJS office told me not to use checks because, since Japan is super not check-friendly, it costs so much more to cash a check than to have my parents wire money. She told me she cashed a $100 check and only got 2000 yen as a result...

So I didn't go to the bank. I invited Emma along to Sakae and she agreed.

We took the subway and got off at Sakae and took the exit that came out into Oasis 21. 

(Girl with cute Rilakkuma book cover)

It was a really beautiful day today, sunny with perfect weather in the high 40s. It was just like Sunday had been, and Ayuko had told me that's called "goharubyori", which means a day like spring (you only say it in winter, obviously).

We walked to the building behind Sunshine Sakae, the one with the Book Off and Daiso, because I wanted to go get that llama kanji book I'd seen at Daiso that time.

And of course I ended up buying way more than I'd planned!

I'm in love with the fuzzy pink pencil case that I'll think I'll use as a toothbrush/toiletry case because the one I have is too small. 

And I like the pencil pouch I bought because it has Japanese on it! And I needed a pencil pouch.

And I bought the only two kanji books they had lol.

And they had an even better deal here than the grocery store!!! I found chocolate chip melon pan, two for 100 yen!!!! Ahhhhh!!!

(Got kinda squished on the bike ride home)

So I bought two of them.

Emma got some pencils and lead, and then we went upstairs to Book Off because Emma wanted a game.

While she bought the game, I looked a the clothes (Book Off also sells clothes) because they were having this super awesome 200 yen sale.

And I got this super cute outfit!

(Ahhh I'm in love with it! And it was only 400 yen total! ^^ )

When I went into the dressing room, I didn't take off my shoes, and a little while later a sales attendant came over to my room and called for me to come out, so I did and she told me to take off my shoes. Whoops.

I was really happy all the skirts I tried on fit me though! I was afraid I'd be too big to fit into Japanese clothes haha. But most were so short it was immodest, so I didn't get them!

(I love how when you buy things in Japan they tape the bag closed for you)

Then Emma told me the games were 20% off, so I went ahead and bought the one I wanted. It was only 750 yen, omg!

After that, we walked over to Parco, which is this huge 8 story department store with three different wings.

We had fun looking at all the clothes and laughing at the Engrish we saw. There were a while bunch of 70% off sales, but the clothes were priced so high to begin with, they were still expensive with 70% off.

(I see this store everywhere and it cracks me up every time!)

(It says "SWEAR"... Why??)

(Engrish!! "How god" haha)

(Ooo strawberry and pineapple massage woman)

And there was a cake shop on one floor! I love looking at cakes!

When we left, we saw a shrine across the street in the middle of all the hustle and bustle of the city and plethora of department stores.

I wanted to check it out, so I started opening the front gate. This lady came over to walk in this side door we hadn't seen and we looked over at her. She motioned into the door and said "dozo", telling us to go ahead. So we went in! The whole time though we felt like we weren't supposed to be there, especially when these two ladies came out and pointed at us and talked among themselves for a bit before they went back inside haha.

It was really, really pretty!

There was this huge bell that you could ring so I went up and rang it lol. It was really loud!

(Mikan tree! I really wanted to eat some)

(The bell)

(Me ringing it)

Then since we were pretty close to Osu, we just walked through there to the Kamimaezu Station. 

(Pretty fountain!)

Then Emma took the Tsuramai line home and I kept going on the Meijo to Kanayama where I transferred to the JR.

It was a really nice bike ride home. It was daylight for one thing (I've been getting home so late recently) and the weather was so nice.

I always pass this sign for a coin car wash and I think it's really cool, because they made the accent mark things on the kanji into bubbles! It's so cute!

I got home like a second before Yuko and Miyabi. When Miyabi came in and saw me she said I was "hayai" (early) lol because it was only 4:40ish.

I told Yuko I was going to go take a nap because I was exhausted!

I slept until 6:20. Then I went in the living room and practiced kanji in my new kanji book while Miyabi did her homework. 

What I don't like about the kanji book, though, is that it doesn't show me how to sound out the kanji. So Miyabi had to help me with some of them because they had other ways to say them then the ways I knew.

Then Miyabi got out this paper and her calligraphy brush and water. And she dipped the brush in the water. I was wondering where the ink was. Then she put the brush down on the paper. And I was like wth, she's gonna paint with water?

But it turned out it was this magic paper that got really dark wherever the water hit!

Then she brought in a second sheet of blue paper and a pink sheet and asked me which one I wanted. Did she even have to ask?

I was so excited she was letting me draw! She asked me in Japanese what I wanted to write. I was like, well pink paper, I'll write love! So I did.

Miyabi said I was "jouzu" (good at it). That was so nice coming from a Japanese person! :) It made me happy, haha.

We had fried chicken and French fries along with the usual salad, rice, and soup tonight. It was good!

During dinner Yuko told me how Miyabi still doesn't have her wisdom teeth, so the dentist is getting worried because in Japan, they're called rokusai kyushu = six year old teeth and they're supposed to come in at age six.

After dinner, I showed Miyabi the days of the month rap Lindsay and I found last year and she thought it was so funny! She made me play it again and again haha. Then we watched some other movies about learning Japanese and we both practiced kanji.

(My bonsai's blooming!!)