Tokyo!! Part 1

So after my flurry of arrival posting, I have fallen silent. I apologize, I've been busy!! Classes have started (lest I forget that I am actually here to study) and the homework is piling up, boo!! But on to more interesting things, I went to Tokyo this past weekend. Actually, we (me and two other girls from the program) went to Tokyo twice, but this will only be about the first trip, which took place on Friday. So on Friday we went to Akihabara to buy denshi jishos (an electronic dictionary). Akihabara is famous for electronics shopping, so you can go to all the different places and compare the prices. There are tons of neon signs and all the places sell every electronic thing you can think of - computers, cameras, USB, DVD's etc. I bought an awesome dictionary, for $150 cheaper than it would be in the US!! We took the train there and back and on the way home it was SO crowded. I learned a lesson, on Japanese trains never stand near the door, because that is where all the people pile in when they board. Everyone gets all squished up together!! Always stand in the aisle between the seats - more room with convenient handles to grab!! And since people in Japan are shorter, the handles are lower, which is great for me!! (Madison bus handles = too high!!). The train here is very easy - all the announcements are in both Japanese and English, it only takes about 35 minutes from Yokohama and costs about $4.25 to get right into downtown Tokyo!! Awesome! Tokyo is interesting - in some ways, it's like every other big city but then it's also completely different, partially because the amount of people is just so massive. Walking through Tokyo station at rush hour was overwhelming yet even though everyone is walking VERY quickly, no one bumps into you. Crowd flow is very "controlled" here - in the station hallways, people walk one way on one side and the other way on the other, no jumping around willy-nilly. Even the stairs have arrows telling which side is up and which is down. On escalators, everyone ALWAYS stands on the left and walks on the right (I love this - Americans are horrible with escalators!!) Customer service in the stores is also really good - for example. on Friday it was raining so all the store paper bags were then put in special plastic bags where the handles still stick out so you can carry the bag but it won't get wet. For dinner we went to an "Italian" place, where I had another of the many pizzas that I have eaten thus far (one of the few vegetarian options - the best pizza thus far was Saturday night in Yokohama, eggplant and miso, delicious!!). It was a long day, since we had class in the morning, but really fun to go into Tokyo the first time, though nothing prepared me for the experience of shopping in Shibuya on Saturday, to be detailed in my next post!!

Hot plate update: Thus far I have successfully cooked scrambled eggs, soba noodles and eggplant (super good, stir fried with some garlic and soy sauce). The hot plate works really really well, heats right up and cools down quickly when I am done. So contrary to popular belief, it is NOT a scale. Tonight Yumi and I were adventurous and made eggs with garlic, mushrooms and scallions. I have also acquired a rice cooker, knife, cutting board, pot and various other dishes, so my "kitchen" is up and rolling. Weekly Mansion Tokyo came through in the end, just like Mr. Daisuke Fukuda promised. Of course, I had to supplement my kitchen with some purchases from the hyakuen (100 yen) store - the best place ever!! It's like a target where everything is a dollar (and slightly poorer quality, but still, one dollar! Actually, the exchange rate is good right now, so more like 80 cents). The grocery store here is really nice, though I have already made some mistakes in my purchases. I meant to buy scallions and instead I bought this long green things that look exactly like scallions but without the bulb - Yumi and I did some careful kanji reading (her) and internet searching (me) and discovered that they are garlic stems. We have big plans to saute them with garlic and sesame seeds. Harry Potter update: I have reserved a copy!!! The book store here takes reservations for the British and American versions - the British gets here earlier, apparently on the same day it is available in the US. Very exciting! I hear there are spoilers circulating on the internet. I am staying far far away . . . but she better not kill Hermoine!!