(Day 23) Treasures New and Old

It was Monday and we had no where to be, so we slept…and slept. When the doorbell went at 9:45, Mayuko woke up, picked up the package from the mailman and went back to sleep. I snoozed for a while longer, but curiousity got the best of me – I woke up and opened the package.


KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAithinki’mgonnadieAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

In September, about three weeks before I left to come to Japan, I was alerted to the news that NEWS would be touring this fall…and their first concert would be October 25th, in Sendai. Since I leave on the 26th, I was dead-set and determined that I would go, no matter what the cost. That determination waned with time since getting tickets to these boy-band concerts is impossibly difficult for a Japanese person, much less a foreigner. Tickets are only sold to members of the fan club – the public can buy them if the fan club member buys the ticket but doesn’t want to go and either sells the ticket to scalper businesses or puts up the ticket on Yahoo Auction. The public can bid on and win the ticket, but you must have a Japanese home address to register on Yahoo Auction.

You see my conundrum? Thankfully, dear, sweet Mayuko offered to buy the ticket off Yahoo Auction and I would pay her back. Won on Friday, ticket came Monday. Gotta love the efficiency of Japanese society. The ticket cost three times as much as retail, but I was going. Now I had to figure out how to get to the concert…oh well. It’s still four days away.

Once Mayuko came to (she loves sleeping), she got ready while I watched ‘Waratte Iitomo’ (insanely colourful variety show).


Hosted by dude from SMAP.



By the time she was ready to go, it was lunch. Since we were staying close to home today, we decided the soba place near her house would hit the spot.


Hello, day!

I wanted to sit on the floor in the seiza position since I hadn’t had the chance yet.


She’s so cute.


Ohhh yum! My lunch for October 20th (clockwise from tea): donburi (rice with egg), zaru (cold) soba, onions, zaru soba sauce, agedashi tofu, and oshinko (pickles). Itadakimasu!

Mayuko had to drop something off at her University, so off to Jissen we headed – in a lacy taxi!



I’d been to Jissen before since Jean was studying here for four months and lived in the dorms.






Eeek! Work reaches me no matter how far away I am.

After a brief staring exchange with some of the Jissen students, we were on our way again, hot-footing it a few blocks to hop on the bus. We were in the sticks y’all.



The bus took us to the national treasure found in Hino, Takahatafudo.














The one with the face drawn on it says, “I want a girlfriend”. Aww, muffin.



Since I was with Mayuko, it was time for a café trip. We found a quaint patisserie on the corner near the train station…what lovely delicacies were found within its walls!


I had this truffle cake…richness found nowhere else in Japan.


I also ate this shioux cream (cream puff in plain speak…but I like shioux cream since it sounds refined.) Tee hee! I like sweets. I picked up some for my host familiy since they are super kind to me and it’s the least I can do.

Even though we attempted to stay in Hino for the day, we found ourselves near the monorail station and decided that could be an adventure unto itself, so we hopped on.



The monorail took us to nearby Tachikawa where admired the Prada store inside Isetan and decided on – what else – more karaoke!!



They gave us this super-sweet extra large party room so along with it came the giant TV.


I think Mayuko looks like Yamada Yu here…maybe it’s just me.

Once again, Mayuko chose Tackey & Tsubasa songs for the music videos and, once again, I went nearly deaf as she screamed into the microphone this time.


Ow.

Mayuko had class later that night so eventually we parted ways and I boarded (more like shoe-horned my way onto) the train to take me home to Urawa. Train people don’t like giant backpacks on board during rush hour…sheesh. What’s their problem…:)

As for tomorrow, Aoyama awaits me and my wallet…and I went absolutely crazy in the process. I love you Japan, but why you gotta be so full of temptation?