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08/13/2001 Entry: "FOOOM!"

Yes, we did actually make it to Japan ;) Forgive the massive (even more than usual ;) typos in this entry, this Japanese Keyboard is funky @-@)This is the first chance in a week that we have had to use a computer, and we have a 1 hour time limit. Anyway, so far, the trip has been a lot of fun! I am really sick of walking though ;) and all the stairs.... anyway, we have bought much LOOT. So much that it is really hard to move our suitcases. One of mine is totally messed up, I hope it doesnt collapse ^-^

Lets see, we arrived at Tokyo on Monday the 6th and lugged our suitcases to the shinkansen station where we wisely purchased advance reservation seats for all the shinkansen trains we were going to take. Then we boarded the Narita Express for Tokyo. That is a really nice train *-* We has to switch to the Yamanote ine train at the Shinjuku station. That train finaly got us to Ikebukuro. But it was dark and raining, and we had just spent 11 hours on a plane and another 90 minutes on trains. GENKINAI. We got fairly lost wandering around Ikebukuro, bt finally a helpfl policeman in a police box directed us to the street we needed, and we actually made it to the hotel. Yatta!
It was kind of funny to notice that the first thing that was on TV when we turned on the TV in ou hotel room was Hey Hey Hey Music Champ. Hahah ;)

On Tuesday the 7th, we had a lot of plans, but ended up only wandering around Ikebukuro some more. We went to the 8-floor Animate store and the manga store part of the K-books. We were not able to find the Book-off store that I know was around there somewhere....

For food we have been raiding the Fairy Mart-er the Family Mart convenience stores that were near our hotel. We had 3 of them to choose from ;) Steph has been a riceball/onigiri fiend, while I have made an effort to try every interesting softdrink I come across. I love the vending machines here- they are all over the place.

On Wednesday we did a day trip to Osaka. Wow, I cant believe we made it to Osaka and back in one day. We took the Hikari Shinkansen that went through Nagoya and Kyoto, and finally to Osaka. We somehow managed to make it to the Animate store there, which was in the basement-like area of this large building. That animate was having an exhibition of original CLAMPX artwork. So we were able to wander through a little gallery and look at all the original artwork (not prints or copies) for all the X color manga art. It was all so gorgeous!

Thursday we went to Tokyo Tower! We went to the highest observation deck. Alas, no FOOM (darn- must have been the lack of sailor fuku!) but it was really cool to be there. In the elevator, I kept imagining Eeichi and Hoshiko from that 2nd or 3rd OO comic when they were FOOMED from the elevator XD
Later on we met up with my friend from the UT Anime Club, Wayne, who wandered around Akihabara with us. I bought a very cute little pre-paid keitai (cellphone) and a cowboy bebop cellphone strap to go with it. OH! We havent been able to see the Cowboy Bebop movie because it hasnt been released here :( but we DID go see Sen to Chihiro, that new Studio GHIBLI film. WOW. It was so cool! Sort of like an Alice in Wonderland story or something. I loved the characters in it, and I plan to do a layout with Haku in it when I get back XD) Akihabara was nifty. We managed to go to K-books and Gamers (the extension store, we haven:t been to the main store yet) and had dinner at McDonalds. (we were getting sick of riceballs ;)

Friday was SUPPOSED to be a Comiket day, but we were so worn out and hot and tired that we actually SKIPPED that day and went to the Mandarake in Nakano instead. I bought some doujinshi there and lots of used manga. Woo hoo! Smut! I am forgetting what ese we did on Friday. Hmmmmm. OH! I was almost scouted to be on a CD jacket ;) Agt the train station, a female talent scout approached me and asked me if I was interested in being photographed for the cover of a Southern All-stars
(a j-pop group) CD jacket! I was like SURE! But the photo shoot is on the 20th and we leave the 19th. bAH!

Saturday was a bit of a disappointment. We met up with Wayne again and did go to Comiket, but we got there rather late. We only had ;ike 3 minutes before the circles started packing their stuff up. I DID manage to get Thea some nice Erio Hori (I know I am mispelling that) Initial-D doujinshi (that was all her table was offering) and I got some wonderfully sparkly Hisaya Nakajo doujinshi (Hikaru no go!) Other doujinshi I picked up included lots of Fruits Basket stuff and some Cafe and card Captor Sakura. We realy didnt have much time to do stuff. Ah well. There were a LOT of people there though! But it was nothing compared to-

Sunday we got an earlier start and got to Comiket when it was in full-swing. Sunday is smut-day at Comiket (even more smutty than normal ;) but most of the yaoi smut I wanted to get turned out to be novels/fanfic instead of doujinshi. bah! I did get a cute yaoi videogame of some sort and some digicharat wallpapers and stuff. I didn:t buy that much doujinshi, amazingly enough. Wen faced with all this choice, we both became stingy ^^;; Sunday was SO PACKED though! I have ever seen so mank people in one place. There were a lot of cosplayers there, and a LOT of guys in drag XD XD Lots of male dejikos... kowai! I feel better about US cons after seeing some of them. At Comiket on both days I went, I saw only one other white person there besides me, and I think it was the same guy each day o.o After Comiket we went to Waseda and Saw Eileen`s apartment. WOW, its nifty. It was fun to see her here, hehehe.

Monday (yesterday) was laundry day! Well, sort of, we washed some stuff, but it didn]t all dry in time. Ah well. We made another run to the Ikebukuro K-books, and I bought a TON of doujinshi O.O LOTS. I have like 40 or 50. And I got the Tachibana Kaimu NOTHING artbook I have been looking for.

Today we go to Kyoto! We had a HELL of a time lugging our heavy suitcases from Ikebukuro, on the yamanote train to Tokyo station, and then finding a place to store the main bags while we take smaller bags to Kyoto. OOF. Wayne showed us this place where I get 1 hour online for free XD Steph is sitting next to me, typing away, so I am sure her entry in this blog will be right next to mine;)

General impressions so far- CROWDS, WATCH OUT FOR BICYCLES, they will RUN YOU DOWN. Fairy Mart riceballs are oishii. We have mastered the train system here, yay! We love the Yamanote... I am tired of people staring at me though o.o

OK, my time is almost up, so I better go. Are my nekotachi OK? I am worried about them!!!!!

--Emi

Posted by TamaTama @ 08/15/2001 06:31 PM PST