Way Past Due... Tokyo and more

So, this post is way past due I realize...

Getting back to Tokyo. The last day we walked around Shinjuku and just shopped a bit. Jennay got in touch with her friends and we stopped by a station in Shinjuku just to learn what we could about the Shinkansen.

Everything in Tokyo was way out of my price range, so I didn't really buy anything, but it was fun to window shop. I got a look at 3,000$ kimonos, which were beautiful, in a large Kimono shop. Hats here are also a way of life! A hat is like 20$-40$!

We didn't really do much since we wanted to get home at a resonable hour so we went back to the Hostel (Where they let you store your things after you check out) got our stuff and headed to Tokyo Station. At Tokyo Station we were going to meet up with Jennay's friends, but we were a little early. Soon, they were 15 minutes late. Jennay called them and they said they'd be up to another hour! So we decided to just do it on our own, we'd done everything else that way. Getting the ticket was pretty easy, and we went up to the counter together. I'd forgotten my discount slip from the school, which saves you about 20.00. It's unfortunate but if I'd went back to get it on the night we left we would've missed the bus.

We got to the platform and the train was already there, so we tried to enter and the cleaning crew promptly shooed us off. We then noticed the line of people, so we just hopped in line. When we were waiting I saw a train with Pokemon painted all over it, only in Japan. So when we were getting on we were trying to figure out our seats. There's two kinds, reserved and non-reserved. The reserved seats are more expensive and exactlly what they sound like. The non-reserved are cheaper and are confined to three cars and it's essentally every man for themself to find a seat. At this point in time, we didn't know this.

So after struggling a minute or two, I heard some english on the speaker that the first three cars were for non-reserved. I confirmed this with a man in a uniform. The train was leaving in 3 minutes, we were in car 8.

Leaving the car we're walking up the platform in a rush, trying to get to car 3. All of a sudden around car 5 I see flashing lights and notice the clock just hit the time the train was leaving. I just said to Jennay, "Let's get on, we can walk through the train."

We hopped on at car 4, and the doors promptly closed behind us, it was a sigh of relif. Car 3 had lots of open seats, but it was a smoking car (which I was thankful they didn't recycle that air with the whole train) so we moved through it quickly. Since we were the last ones to get there we couldn't find any two seats together. We both settled between two businessmen type people and enjoyed the ride.

On the Shinkansen you put your luggage in front of you, there's tons of legroom so it's built for that. Backpacks and briefcases go on a ledge over the seat. That's it though, there's no room for checked bags or anything. Since I only had a backpack, a purse, and one shopping bag of things I had plenty of room. At first I was watching the scenery go by, we went by the coast and through a bunch of small towns, it was fast but lovely. Then though the gentle rocking of the train put me to sleep against my will for about an hour.

They have little food carts that go through the train too, like stewardists. It's expensive, and I didn't get anything, but it really shows you that it's a nice way to travel.

To get back to Osaka was 2 hours and 45 minutes, and it really wasn't a bad trip. On the subway and small train headed back to Hirakata Jennay and I were talking about how we felt Osaka was so small now, and how if we could handle Tokyo we could handle anything. I think the trip was a big confidence booster.

When I got home my Okasan cooked me a quick dinner, which I was greatful for. Then after a much needed shower, and hand-washing my cloths, I collapsed from exhaustion. (It's Sunda now, and I'm just now feeling like I caught up on my sleep from the trip)

............................

On Thursday it was the last day to switch classes, and I made the last minute decision to switch my anime class. The class I was in was more like a film critique than a study on the culture. The teacher was very understanding and even said I could sit in on the movies if I wanted to see some of the more rare ones. I think I'll definately take him up on that. The new class I'm in looks more at the evolution of anime and manga and the culture of it. The Teacher was a bit skeptical of my last minute change, having now missed four classes, but I assured him I was comitted to learning the material and catching up, which I am. I'm very excited.

Friday I found out it was too late for me to switch my Japanese class, oh well I suppose. Refounding my basics will be good I suppose. Even though it's not very hard I do and have learned new and important things since taking the class. Plus, I'll have more advanced language at home.

It's dinnertime now, I'll post more later though, sorry this is all so late.