Saturday, December 15, 2012

Junie Moon

Guys. Guys. 12:12 on 12/12/12.
And apparently Tom has a 7:30 A.M. alarm clock. lolol, I just thought I would capture this moment in case any of you did not drop whatever you were doing at 12:12 to appreciate the greatness, unless you were going bowling. Then, you have a valid excuse and no broken toes.
That was taken after Training Class. That day, I did 90 kilo barbell squats. They were a bit sloppy towards the end, but still. Anthony asked "Do you have horses hidden in your legs or something?" lolol, that was great. Whenever I think my legs are big, I will think of this day. XD

On Thursday during class, we had to write on the board and explain our favorite Kanji.
Mine is the 4th on the left and looks like a Triforce from this picture. Up close, it looks like "森," which reads "もり" or "mori," and means forest. I was the only one that wrote in blue chalk. XD The color was available! Why use white when there was blue and yellow to choose from...
I gave a few reasons for this, like the latin reading "Momento Mori" (also the name of my favorite Flyleaf album), Animal Crossing (Doubutsu no Mori), and forests are the greatest to run through and take pictures of bugs. Oh, and Edward lives in a foresty area.
Definitely the main reason why. lololol. Maybe.

I also found this amazing deal at Book Off:
HAHAHA, JAPANESE MAX. I didn't buy this though since I would be stuck with this big box to carry home and it's since region coded. Even though I bought five of the Harry Potter movies XD.

Friday, Grant and I went to a huge bookstore in Shinjuku to look on the floor that had English books XD. Sometimes, you need a mental break from all of the Japanese books and the frustration of taking hours just to read the titles.
These magazines were there, though.
Grant and I also picked up copies of The Hobbit. We were planning on seeing it the next day with some of the other exchange students. I've always wanted to read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series, but was intimidated by it. I thought there were probably going to be a lot of characters to remember and that it would be written complicated or something. Since Game of Thrones, I feel like a lot of other books will be easier to read and remember the characters.
I also have been looking for the perfect copy, and I think I found it! It has a few illustrations in it too =].
Grant and I have already started to read it last night, and I really shouldn't have been so intimidated. It's not a difficult read (at least yet) and Tolkien is great with painting imagery for you and keeping a playful tone. I know it will be getting darker in time, though.

In the afternoon yesterday, Grant and I met up to go to Ueno, find Junie Moon, and then go to see The Hobbit. Plans for the movie fell through due to messy communication (one of the few times not having a phone is a bad thing). That was okay though, because I feel like reading The Hobbit first will, as usual, make me appreciate the movie more. Grant and I are planning to read at least 1/3 of the book first, since it's split up into 3 parts, before seeing the movie.

The weather was really rainy and gross, so we decided to just go to Shibuya to try to find the real Junie Moon. Japan is really making me dread rainy weather. That's okay. Ueno another day =^.^=.

Oh darn...fro yo is in Shibuya...
There's going to be so many pictures of these by the end of this Japan adventure. But then, it was off to find Junie Moon!

We walked. We walked a bit more. Checked the map. Walked some more. Made wrong turns several times. Found a Baby the Stars Shine Bright (Lolita shop) in this really crappy building, took the elevator up, looked inside, and realized it was where they made the clothes. Not sold them.
lololol. So we quickly went back on the elevator down. We kept on walking and ran into a station that was not supposed to be the station we were supposed to run into. XD
So we backtracked a bit, turned on a different street, and found a toy store on the way.
 BATMAN.
And here's Gotham City:
Well, not really. But we did pass a bar that had "Gotham" in the name. Gah, why didn't I take a picture?
We walked more. And more. And then...
FINALLY! YesSsSsSss.

Risking my life for Lauren Pt. 48:
Sadly, these are the only pictures I took. I realized there were little security cameras and a TV to watch customers up front and didn't feel like being yelled before looking around. It was a small store. Who wants to walk around a small store getting stink eye the entire time?

They had a lot of stationary, a few tote bags, eyechips, about 5 customs for sale, about 8 different neo stock blythes, a few midis, 30ish pairs of shoes, some pull string charms, a few outfits that are shown in the picture, wigs, and a ton of Blythes standing around that weren't for sale. Being there really makes you want to buy a Blythe, but I didn't really fall in love with any of the stock girls.

Yes, Lauren. I did buy you some stuff. Ugh. Oh, and Plum, I guess.

We walked back to Shibuya and found this store along the way, which made me think of Zack.
There wasn't anything inside the store that was really Japanese exclusive to pick up for him, except for some guitar picks. Though, I'm not sure if the Japanese brands can be found in the US, too.

Junie Moon was so much closer to the station than we thought. What could have been an easy 10 minute walk, was a 40 minute one. But I wouldn't have wanted our adventure any other way. We got to see a lot more of Japan =^.^=. Plus, walking is great. lolol. And we got to see the creepy place that Baby The Stars Shine Bright clothes are made.

We made a stop at a store in Meijiro so Grant could look at some beers.
He gets so excited =].
 Shawn:
That bottle was huge.
I really liked the whole atmosphere of the place. They had...so much alcohol..
If only I was into drinking XD.
nah...But the bottles sure do look cool.

French Harry Potter at a Book Off nearby:
We were getting a bit hungry at this time and decided to check out a sushi kaiten by Grant's place. We peaked inside and decided to pick up and make food instead. lolz
There were these Christmas decorations along the way which Grant really liked:
You can tell by his expression.
This tree had a ton of ornaments on it:
We picked up some steak, potatoes, and veggies at the local supermarket and cooked up something really delicious.
We're doing Japan right.

Grant took my ipod for a bit:
Those are only 3/5 pictures.
The rest of the night, we read The Hobbit and well, you know what happens when I start reading. I fell asleep for a bit. lolol. Oh, Grant gave me a back massage, too, like the past 3 nights. I've been so sore from the lifting day and then being me, swimming the day after. I can't believe I was considering going to Kickboxing the same day I lifted as well. Well, I can believe that. Grant has caught on with my asking for a massage, though. Usually I say "I'll trade you massages!," which always ends with just me getting a massage. I said that again last night and he said "No, you won't!" lolol, oops. ^___^'

I also took some really amazing photos on Grant's phone and hopefully he'll share them with you some day. If you ever wondered what a ceiling or door looks like, those pictures are for you. I must have been really tired...

Today, I'm catching up with homework and such. Sometimes...I just don't want to study...and then I think of how many teachers and family and friends have been telling me that this is my last semester and I'm in Japan. I should just have some fun and not worry so much about school. It's just so hard to have that mindset though, you knows?

Peace out, homeslices.

4 comments:

  1. You forgot to mention how when you saw the J-Moon store you say "YAAAAAY!!!" and started giggling and clapping (with some hopping...) hahaha

    I also love how the picture of me by the christmas tree looks like it was randomly taken, but I posed for it...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Risking my life for Lauren Pt. 48:

    I WOULD NEVER.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I like that horses comment. xD It's recognition for some great legs, haha!

    "Mori" is a very popular word in the Blythe world, bb! It's kind of cool that it's your favorite Kanji. People love the Mori style for Blythe clothes. In fact, that's the style that Roslin is wearing right now and the style that I'm gearing Pinkinshire towards (Because Pinkinshire is about forests). <3 The fact that it looks like the Triforce in Japanese is pretty awesome!

    Omg, you're going to have so many DVDs to bring home! You could open your own DVD shop here. =p

    You're right in that LOTR and The Hobbit are a bit more complicated to read, but for our reading levels, I wouldn't say they're difficult. I like to read slowly though because there are SO many details to capture in every single sentence. I'd suggest doing the same! The Alan Lee edition was a good choice. The way it's set up with Lee's illustrations almost stretches the story out more so you can absorb the book in a different way. I think you'll have fun! ^__^ Also, The Hobbit is a much easier read than LOTR. I was assigned to read it in grade school, haha. So that says something! I'm reading it for the third time now. <3

    Ahh, I love hearing about BTSSB. I wish you had been near an actual store. The main time I saw it was when I watched Kamizake Girls. Real pics have to be even cooler.

    OMG, THANK YOU FOR RISKING YOUR LIFE AGAIN. YOU ARE AMAZING. *looks at photos intently*

    Those pics are great, bb! I bet it really is a super small store. That's what everyone says when they go there for the first time. Still, to be surrounded by SO much Blythe stuff... It must be incredible. They used to carry more stock Blythes, but I guess something changed and now they just have a few different stocks at a time. Boo! Sorry you didn't find anything for yourself... but I'm over the Junie Moon that you found stuff for Plum and me! (PUN. ZING!)

    Whoa, that Jack Daniel's bottle really does look huge. o__O

    I like that you, an American, saw a French HP book while you're in Japan. It's the new melting pot!

    Those Christmas lights are so pretty! You know, even though there might be fewer Christmas decorations in Japan, the places that DO decorate really do it well.

    Grant does not look happy with that meal you made. Beth has some competition with her grouchy faces.

    Hahahaha. Bb, you're turning into me with massages. xD I always tell Shawn I'll give him one after he gives me one... but it's always about me getting a massage. Then again, Shawn knows that by this time in our lives together. Lolz. Poor Grant. He doesn't know yet. Hahaha.

    You know, it's difficult to get into that carefree mindset. In fact, I felt on edge for a couple months AFTER I graduated from college. We're all so strung out on doing perfect in school (it's been like 20+ years in school if you think about it) so we're not used to feeling like we can relax. But people are right. Because you're in Japan, you really should enjoy yourself even more. I hope you do! <3 I know it's hard, but at least you're trying by taking so many adventures. ^____^

    ReplyDelete
  4. Bb! Yes! The Alan Lee edition is amazing. I love the illustrations. Now to find the perfect LOTR books…

    Ahh, I’ve been to two BTSSB already XD. One in Harajuku and the other in Shinjuku in the same building as LeLe Junie Moon ^___^. They’re both really small and always eerily quiet inside. I’ll have to describe them to you better in person.

    Haha, Grant has caught on already! He probably caught on in the way beginning but has been really polite and hasn’t mentioned it until now XD.

    ReplyDelete