Chandan

So it turns out I didnt go to Akihabara yesterday. The day was spent picking my cousin up from preschool and going to Don Qi Jote. While I was there, I picked up some awesome incense called Chandan. It's an indian brand, and I dont know about you guys but I think it smells awesome. After the day's major events were over, I ate dinner at a local Japanese restaurant called 藍や(ai-ya). I forgot my camera so there are no pics but I assure you that the food was good.

Switching over to today, I went to a manga cafe. The place is basically a manga library with small booths complete with a reclining chair and PC. Free snacks and drinks are also available. I grabbed a couple books, got a coke, and stayed in that booth for 3 hours. A waste of time? You dont have the right to say that unless youve been to one. They are called 漫画喫茶(manga-kissa) here. Oh did I mention that its cheap? 3 hours of relaxation ,free refreshments, and your favorite manga's for only ￥1000 (about $10).

Hell Yeah

So today I decided to fulfill one of the primary purposes of my coming to Japan. I headed over to an area of Tokyo called Kichijoji. I went to a local music store there to get what I wanted, a Fender Jazz Bass (made in Japan model).


Why this exact model? Well the reason is that I'm kind of a closet otaku (coming out much?) and one of the animes/mangas that I follow is called K-ON!. If you want to know the story, etc. you can just go on wikipedia or something, but basically one of the characters has the exact same bass I'm holding in my hands right now, and this feeling of accomplishment and unity is something that only people of my world can understand.

Getting away from the geeky stuff, I went to a place called ねぎし(Negishi) for dinner. Their signature dish is the seared beef-tongue set. It may sound gross to some, but it is pwnsome.

Tomorrow I plan to go to Akihabara to check out some shops, as well as hit up the Tokyo Anime Center located there. A bunch of pics will probly be posted.

Ramen

I finally made it to Japan. I got up at 7, went on a 7 hour flight, rode on a bus for 2 hours, and took a train for 30 minutes. As soon as I got to where I'm staying though, I went out for some awesome ramen. I'm currently at my grandma's house in Tokyo in a town called Hamadayama.
There's a local ramen place called たんたん亭 (tan-tan tei) and its FREAKIN AWESOME. I've basically been going there all my life, but no matter how many times I eat there, it never gets old. If any of you go to Japan, I definitely recommend that you hit the place up.

Almost Shot

So I was at my friend's birthday party the other day. He was going to do an airsoft thing at his church. It was private property, all permissions were granted, etc. I get there, and after a while, we start playing. All is well till about the 1 1/2 hour point. Then we hear sirens. At first I thought "...it cant be for us can it?" but sure enough, it was. Around 7 or 8 squad cars flew to the church, and pretty soon we were surrounded by officers with shotguns yelling at us to get on the ground and show our hands. Long story short, since we were on private property and all, they let us go. Needless to say, we just played cod for the rest of the night.

.......Summer

So im not sure why I started this...It was pretty much an impulse thing. Anyway, heres a couple things that are going on in my life so far.

1. Japan

I'm leaving June 14th, and am staying there till around July 20th. Much ramen will be eaten, and much weight will be gained....... Seriously though, I'm gonna try to get into a jogging routine while there to at least maintain my semi-overweight bodily state. I also want to buy a bike while there. I thought about getting membership to a gym, but its craaazy expensive and not worth it for just one month.

2. Driving School

My first class was actually yesterday. While all my friends go to their summer school drivers ed classes, I go to this ghetto place near njiya market and fedex/kinkos. At least the instructor is funny. The class dispersion is pretty chill too. Each unit is self contained so you can go in any order for the ten sessions that they have. I plan on going to a couple before I leave for Japan, finishing up the rest when I come back.

Yeah thats pretty much it. Because of vacation, I pretty much just chill at home unless somebody calls me up to hang out or something. Lol having no school makes me realize how pitiful my social life is.

Goodbye for now. I hope I continue this................