May 2008 - 五月二〇〇八年

I'm still here! I'm serious! And with that it is time to give an update on May's happenings! I have been rather busy since my professors have decided to "turn it up a notch" with the lesson plans. I am loving every minute of it because I really am learning so much! It's quite fantastic! But enough of that! Time for happenings!

連休スペシャル - Golden Week

Golden Week is 5 consecutive holidays in the Japanese calendar that the Japanese love to use to take vacations and rest from work. I chose to go to Kyoto with this time (some of you may be saying "of course" by now). But we didn't just hang out in Kyoto either! Christina and I took this opportunity to go to one of her classmate's birthday parties in Osaka! Osaka is about an hour away from Kyoto, but by train its roughly 390yen! (3.90$) It was a blast! There are pictures in the photos folder that I'm sure you will enjoy of all of May, but Osaka was very neat. It's wild for someone like me to see something that looks so much like the Metropolis of Tokyo and not be in Tokyo. We went to the Christon Cafe, which despite the name, is more like a Gothic restaurant than anything else. I had a fantastic pasta with peppers that I actually liked alot, plus a celebratory wine. After that we all went out for Krepes because most of them have not had the joy and pleasure that is a Japanese Crepe. I encourage you too, to try one if you are in Japan. In addtion we, along with 2 of Christina's other friends split a 35$ ice cream...yeah. It really is the biggest I've ever seen and you can see it in photos.

癌 - The Cancer Scare

Most of you may already know this, but when I returned from Golden Week to Tokyo, I was suprised and sad to find that I had a fairly painful cramp in my midsection and so, I went to a doctor. This was very frightening for me because I had no idea what was going on and I didn't want to leave it alone, but its not exactly like I can easily work with Japanese doctor vocabulary. However, with electronic dictionary in hand I set out on my way. Weeks and tests later, the doctor (who I love and have had so much fun talking with) was sure that I had cancer (90% sure). I went in for CT's and MRI's and for weeks my whole family prayed for nothing. I am so blessed and glad, because when he came back he said that they could find nothing! It was so amazing! It was such a blessing that it turned out to be nothing. Everyone from the office to the exchange partners were all relieved that it turned out to be nothing in the end. I now have a full bill of health and a new doctor friend as a result!

お楽しみのこと！ - Fun events!

I did not know until recently that one of my favorite restaurants Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. had a location in Tokyo, actually not but 15 minutes train from my school!

If you have the chance to go to this restaurant in America, Europe or Japan I highly recommend it! It really is an interesting experience and I didn't even really care for the movie that much! Christina and I sat eating some fantastic American style food while watching a huge water works show outside and people go down the steep hill on the THUNDER DOLPHIN in 50 degree weather. We shopped around that night, went into a Purikura (Japanese super special very colorful all crazy and intensive photo booth( you really just have to try it but I'll try to get some posted on the net as examples)). For those of you that know Bubba Gumps, the one in Japan is the exact same, save that they don't ask you questions about the movie. I suppose that would be complicated in Japanese anyway.

Also, that same day we went (for my first time actually) to Tokyo Tower and The Imperial Palace. This was facinating, but what was even more memorable was the group of gentlemen and ladies that we met at the Imperial Palace with no idea where they wanted to go or how to get there. They were on a business trip to Japan and had some sightseeing time for a while, but they didn't have a really good map and ideas of what to do so, when I overheard their conversation with a Japanese man in English, I offered up the tower as an option and when they told me that they didn't know how to get there, Christina and I became tour guides for the night! They were the nicest and most fun loving bunch I've ever met and definitely were great to be around in the tower. There are some pictures of the Tower and the view of Tokyo in photos!

June is looking to be very busy, but when I finish with my term paper I will probably have more time to update! Until then! enjoy!