Japan rocks.

So today was like the third day of the ILP program, technically… and I’ve been in Japan for like… 6 days now. Woo! It feels like every day I change a little bit in my views of Japan, my views of myself as a foreigner in Japan, and my interests in accomplishing certain goals and desires for my stay here. I still want to be a singer, lol. I’ve heard that if I join a music circle/club at Keio, it can be really good because there can be like, famous people in the circle and it could be like joining a band technically… or there’d at least be people who are all interested in being in a band and performing! I want to sing sooo bad. I’m actually already getting instrument withdrawal.. when I walked through Ikebukuro near the train station with my dad before he finally let me be at the ILP program, I saw tons of cute little music shops… I just want to take a little trip and go to go play the guitars there or the pianos there! I think that would be soooo fun  I really want to buy a cheap guitar or keyboard or SOMETHING because I am going to go crazyyyy without some way to express my musical thoughts. And I don’t want to bother anyone by singing too loud… plus I can’t do it much in public without getting stares (that goes for anywhere in the world).
So I need some music in my life as soon as I can get it :) Hopefully when I start getting the JASSO little purchases like that will seem negligible :P
So let me tell you about today (and last night). My dad (finally) left, we had dinner because he insisted on it so we went to this cute little Japanese place (almost duh) in Sugamo (the district of Tokyo in which everyone in EAP is currently staying). In Shinjuku, which is one of the more crowded, busy places, it is not uncommon to see tourists occasionally, so people would kind of look at me as an American girl sometimes, but it wasn’t out of curiosity, just out of slight unfamiliarity with routine, if anything. People were happy if I spoke Japanese though, but they didn’t act like it was a big deal. Sugamo is still very lively and still very much part of Tokyo, but it’s nowhere as crowded or famous as Shinjuku, Roppongi, or Harajuku. There is a larger old population there, but it’s so cuteeee :) so I walk through the streets there and heads turn immediately. Eyes widen. Lengthy stares are far from uncommon. I’ve had people come up to me and say I’m totemoooo beautiful. And EVERYONE there is really happy and excited that I can speak Japanese. It’s very nice. It’s more homey. And still amazingly part of Tokyo, with Karaoke and Pachinko Parlors and takusan little stores all along the street with a little cheaper prices. I <3 Sugamo. But anyway, I was in this restaurant with my dad and I started asking the waitress for the menu and waters and talking with her, and this really old guy behind my dad got so excited and stood up and came over to us. He proceeded to tell us that I was extremely beautiful, and that I could not be my dad’s daughter because I couldn’t have been that young. Hahaa. It’s interesting that the reactions people have to me as a foreigner are completely different than the reactions they have to other EAP students who are asian… They get frustrated with the Asians who can’t speak Japanese, hahaa. With me as a blue-eyed blond haired girl, suddenly I am unfamiliar, sexy, and mysterious. Let’s see if I can hold up the mystique :P
Anyway, I made friends when my group for testing yesterday was going to head back from the test center at JWU. We had a lot of fun shopping for stuff together and we found a really cheap grocery store (88 cents for strong alcoholic lemon drinks? Yes!!) I can’t get over the fact that I can buy alcohol. It feels so awesome and so illegal. Well, it is not legal, but no one will dare card me, as I am a foreigner and I look of age. So hell yes. I feel empowered.
We also drank together last night and channel-flipped with Japanese tv, rating all of the girls and guys we saw. It was quite fun. I feel like some of them have the potential to become really close friends… we’ll see how things go though!
And this morning, we went to ICU to visit the Tokyo Center and have an orientation about being here in Japan. We learned a bunch of tips that I wish I had known like three days ago, like what passes to get for the subway and where to get alien registration cards… etc. I could have used that a couple days ago when my dad was trying to take me everywhere in the world to get me established. It was nice, but at the same time, he is the most stressful person in the world to be with most of the time, unless he’s had some to drink. So I tried to keep him a little less than sober, which wasn’t hard because all I had to do was suggest that he get some beer and off he’d go to a vending machine or get some with dinner. How weird. He loves spending money on himself but he stresses everyone out about money and spending. He’s quite the unfair man.

So back to what I was saying, after orientation I went with my friend Grace and the people she was hanging with to go shopping on our way back from ICU. It took us a good hour and a half to get to ICU in the morning (I’m so glad I’m not going there), so we stopped about halfway on the Chuo line at some place that I forget the name of hahah. There was cool shopping there and I totally wanted to spend a lot of money buying cute things and keychains… etc. I also wanted to buy presents! But I guess it’s too early? Saw nano lego kits (small mini thin legos, like japan) and mameshiba phone charms (I want one), and Shokku Boobs (Oh lizzzie, you would want a pair so badly).
We also got dinner and had a lot of fun. I had an amazing soup, salad, and four little piece of foccicia beard. It was excellent. And cheap! 4 dollars total. I’ve been eating out with a budget conscience.
Now I want to upload this to my blog, but I can’t because the internet is down in the whole building! Neeeeeeeee. :( totemo warui desu yo. Watashi no tomodachi to skype ni shitai! :( I’ll upload it tomorrow! I just went on a run with my friend Midori too, which was fun because we got to explore the main street all the way down Sugamo (which is really long, neeee) but now my feet hurt because my shoes are new and gave me blisters. Ouch! Time for shower! Matane mina-san (see you later everyone!)