Japan Catch-Up

HAPPY GRADUATION OMAR!


(He's the one on the right!)

I have been back for about a week now, doing all the things you do when you think you are still on vacation. Omar's parents are in town for his graduation, which has made things doubly crazy/hectic, but fun.

So, as you can see I am so busy with my important life and all that I haven't been able to really get my head around my trip until now, sorry for the late posting.

I'm also going to apologize in advance for not taking enough pictures. I get all nervous and sweaty in public situations that involve cameras and me being by myself. And I always think that people are annoyed that I am standing in the middle of the road trying to take a picture of a crowded street (see below). But I tried my best! And also after a while I was enjoying myself so much that I forgot I was supposed to be documenting everything. So here are the results... Keep in mind that I am actually going back in December, so I promise I will try to make it (the lack of pictures) up to you until you are so overwhelmed with images of Japan that you will think you have actually been there already or something.

TOKYO - DAY ONE


*view from the plane

My flight arrived about an hour before it was supposed to, so I had a lot of extra time on my hands. I was awake enough that I decided to venture into Tokyo after I checked into my hotel. BIG MISTAKE. It was a Sunday, and of course I was all "I think I'll go to Harajuku" since that's where I always go first. Note to self and readers - I have never been to Harajuku on a Sunday for a reason. It was wall-to-wall people EVERYWHERE, and you know how I hate people (well, you do now).


*Takeshita Dori, how I love thee (when you are not filled with other people)

After about an hour of meandering around feeling sorry for myself (and being to tired to correctly attribute the sorry-feeling to my jet lag) I moped back to my hotel. But not before I picked up some rice balls for Sunkus (a convenience store). Convenience store rice balls make up about 50% of the Reasons Why I Go to Japan.


*Shunned salmon on top, Sekihan on the bottom

I got a few different ones including a tasty one with beef kalbi in the middle and crunchy nori all around the outside that was sprinkled with salt (not pictured- chomped beforehand) and a sekihan one because I haven't had sekihan in forever. I also got a salmon one by mistake. (Note #2, I don't like salmon).

Then I fell into bed and slept for a few hours at a time until morning with the TV blaring Japanese news.

END OF DAY ONE.