Monday, September 17, 2012

The Almost Giant Pandas

Today is the last day before the 3-day orientation, then classes start and it actually feels like it. I thought starting classes in Japan might not feel like summer ending, but its the same feeling. I guess no matter where you are, no matter how exciting and different it is, it's always going to feel like the first day of school when summer ends. Probably even for people who are done with school. That nervous, somewhat dreaded feeling because of the loss of freedom and replaced with a whole lot of questions. Am I going to like my classes? Am I going to be stuck sitting next to someone that asks to borrow your pencil and coughs throughout class, then hands it back to you? Am I really actually going to get knocked unconscious and wake up in Hogwarts? I'm always wishing for the last one. MAYBE THIS TIME. And Snape will speak Japanese.

I was able to sleep until 6 today and was like FINALLY. So I had breakfast and went off to work out in that awesome spot. I still have to post pictures of where...

I wonder if people here are familiar with circuit training or Jillian Michaels. I usually only see a few people jogging in very selected parts of town.

But yeah! I'm thinking of starting a fitness blog and giving tips on how to workout without a gym and using your surroundings and stuff. Since I don't have an exercise mat, doing some of my usual ab workouts hurt on the hard floor, so I used a towel to slide around instead of those sliding discs for your feet and did some different ab workouts. It was quiet too, so I don't disturb anyone downstairs. It felt very successful. Gosh, this is probably boring to some of you, but I was really excited and felt creative XD. Yeah, I should probably have a separate blog for this stuff...

There were scattered thunderstorms, so we were debating on going to the zoo today. First, we got lunch in Shimokitazawa.
Evan asked if I'm going to be taking pictures of all my meals for the next 5 months. The answer is yes. YOU'RE WELCOME. SO GET. HUNGRY.  It was pretty good. Kinda greasy though. I've been eating out a lot and since the food here feels healthier, it didn't start to feel like I needed to eat out less until recently. We've been out venturing in different places and I'm trying to be more open to eating out and since things here are a bit more healthy in Japan with better portion sizes, it seems easier here. Still sometimes a mental challenge. I was able to make my dinner tonight though and was really excited about that. I missed cooking. I miss lots of vegetables and fruit, but I could probably eat sushi everyday.
Omg, there is a Dr. Martens store in Shimakitazawa. I must stop here at another time. I must leave my wallet at the house when I stop here at another time.

After wandering around for a little bit and perhaps purchasingahatandskirtthatwastotallyonsaleandmyhairisstillgrosslookingsoineedtohideitandwillpostpicturesatanothertime, the weather was less rainy, so we decided to travel to the zoo. On the train, Tom was teaching me how to read the maps of the train system. I still don't understand it completely, but it really helped. He and Kirsty are used to taking trains because their train system in England is pretty much the same to read. woof, I wish we had more train systems in the US.
Grant, the Tokyo moleskin notebook you gave me is awesome with the whole train system and everything. ^___^ It's already come in handy a buncha times. buncha crunch times.

Taito City
 So this cat was just lying there and luckily it was breathing, but it was also drooling and really skinny. I didn't realize it was dying until after I took the picture and realized I looked like a total jerk taking a picture of a dying cat and not getting help. I'm building the worst reputation in Japan...
It was gone by the time we passed the area again. Like, not present.
On the way to the zoo it was really pretty

 There was a man juggling and doing tricks on the way, too.
 And posing for cameras...


 This picture probably doesn't make it look like it, but the crows here are huge. Like Game of Thrones-worthy. Or like inspiration for Edgar Allan Poe but he thought using a raven in a poem sounded cooler.

PANDAS. (p.s. these aren't real)
Ueno Zoo
 EFF YEAH, I GOT THE PANDA ONE.
 YEAHEh HEHh HehH PANDAS.
 These Pandas are so B.A. eating all day.
These Pandas are not giant.
I am disappoint. But they were still Pandas doing the exact same thing. It looks like it's the same Panda in these pictures.

 YES, EARS.
 DEAD.
 No, I'm just kidding.
 We were practically in Jurassic Park. Here's the song to help you get the mood right.

 I realized I forgot to upload the pictures of the penguins and it will only take 2 seconds, but it's so much better just showing you this sign of their names because I'm sure you've seen penguins before.

 FRIENDS FOR TOUPEE.
 He was burrowed in there.
 DON'T TOUCH. FINGERPRINTS.
 Evan said he was planning his escape.
 SCOOPS!
 DEAD. (no, this one is actually dead)
 NOT DEAD.
 DAT NOSE.
 Beth, these armadillos were circling the cage repeatedly too. But the animals in this zoo actually looked a lot happier than the ones at the Brookfield Zoo, a.k.a. paying $20 to become depressed.
 BATS ON A STICK. DEEP FRIED. New State Fair food.
 HAHAHA. This guy made me laugh really hard. He's just chilling by the light like IF I STAY BY THE LIGHT, I WILL BE SAFE. Maybe you had to be there...yeah you probably had to be there...
 Ughhhh, another carousel.
We had to leave the zoo pretty early. I always forget how early it closes. But there was a shrine along the way out.
 WAIT, THIS ISN'T EVEN A SHRINE. But it's a great tarp that shows what the shrine should look like.
 And of course there were more food places.
 Fried Squid.
 And this thing that Tom and Evan got. Evan let me try it. It was kinda tangy. I think it was pork, cabbage, egg, and other veggies fried and then they put some sauce on it with mayo. Why, mayo, why. lol
lol, there's actually no real reason he's pointing to these girls

 So this picture was taken because Evan originally took a really crappy picture of me with the pandas (which aren't real btw) and I showed him how it's done and this photo ended up being loaded after the others for some reason and now it's really misplaced and I wasn't even going to post it but now here is a Japanese family with some pandas (but they aren't in danger because the pandas are not real).

 And apparently, here are some flamingos. For Lauren. Because they are pink and fAbULouS.

 Oh yeah! As promised, The Purikura pictures:



So that was pretty much today =^.^=. I'll post how orientation went and such. We get to meet more people and get a tour of school and GET OUR GYM MEMBERSHIP SET UP HAHAHA YESSS!! Peace out, homeslices .^___~.



1 comment:

  1. I probably would have been surprised that the new school year feeling is the same in Japan as it is in the US. I guess I figured the different surroundings and different atmosphere might change that, but I guess not. =\ Maybe you'll feel differently about it after classes officially begin. <3

    Have Grant dress up as Snape to whisk you away to Hogwarts! He could pull that off. xD

    I like the idea of starting a fitness blog. It would be nice to get your own opinions out there about working out.

    By the way, that food looks good... I'm hungry. -___-"

    Oh my gosh, how did you not walk into Doc Martens?! You have way too much self-restraint.

    I'm wondering what your ever-growing reputation is now in Japan. So you're the girl who dries her laundry strangely outside, the girl who admires bathroom signs and the girl who takes photos of sickly cats... o__O

    Thank you for making sure to note that the pandas were not, in fact, real. (I, for one, had been worried that the pandas WERE real and that you were in danger.) They have such lifelike fake pandas in Japan...

    Oh yeah, nice capture of the random family by the panda statue...

    Thank you for the flamingo shots! I'm always amazed and confused by flamingos. Their coloring is so pretty, yet the way they stand like that, on one leg at a time, makes me feel... uncomfortable. Hahaha.

    Those Purikura pics are so awesome. Thanks for posting them. I wanted to see them more close up!

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