The Day Before Class Begins

“Japan in Today’s World” starts tomorrow, and I’m so excited!
Also, Japan won the Women’s World Cup! 日本、おめでとうございます！Congratulations!

What I’ve Been Up To So Far
I have been in Tokyo for several days. To be honest… I have not been up to much at all! I have been staying with my aunt, uncle, and grandmother at their home in a suburb of Tokyo. It was awesome to visit them, as I only get to visit them every few years or so. While staying at their place, I did not go out much so that I could catch up with them at home. It was hot during the day so I didn’t feel like going out much anyways. (I have gotten too used to the mild summers of Berkeley!) I mostly stayed at home, watching Japanese TV with my grandma or drawing cats in my sketchbook with crayon. A few times, I did venture out of the house. Some days, I went to local shops with my aunt or uncle. And on Sunday, my aunt and I made a trip to the nearby city of Yokohama and visited Chinatown. Now that I have left them, I am a bit sad… They have been so kind to me, and I miss them already! But, I am really, really excited for “Japan in Today’s World” to begin. I can’t wait to meet the other students! (I wonder how many of them have checked into the hotel already… I have not met anyone yet.) Anyways, when the course ends, I will visit my family again. They live too close to the campus of Tokyo University where I am studying for me not to do so.

The Hotel
As of right now, I am at the hotel where I will be staying at for the duration of the GSP course. I checked in few hours ago. My aunt kindly accompanied me here, which was nice because while I understand the train lines, I definitely would have gotten lost on the short walk from the train station to the hotel. (The streets here are narrow, winding, and very confusing.) My aunt also helped me settle into my room. It’s quite a place! The room is a bit small (which is to be expected of Japanese hotels) but the facilities are excellent. In addition to the standard bed, desk, TV, closet, and bathroom, there is a kitchen area! It includes a stove, microwave, miniature sink, and fridge. In a cabinet, there are bowls, cups, utensils, pots, a kettle, dish soap, and a sponge. There is even a washing machine and dryer in the room, which I am excited about because… I LOVE DOING LAUNDRY! (But only my own laundry… sorry, I won’t do yours.) I’m amazed! This is going to be such a nice place to stay.

Conveniently across the street from the hotel is a 24-hour supermarket. My aunt and I walked there to see what was available. It’s small, but there is so much food! Fruits, vegetables, bread, meat, cheese, milk, candy, snacks… the store sells everything! The best part? The ready-to-eat food items! They looked especially delicious and the aroma was irresistible. The ready-to-eat food items included all sorts of Japanese foods... noodles, Japanese croquettes, salads, sushi, katsu…. Aaaah, it all looked so delicious! I definitely won’t go hungry.

Anyways, it’s about 10:00 p.m., so I should probably be getting ready for bed so I can get up early tomorrow. Last thing, here are some pictures I have taken since arriving in Japan…. Enjoy!

Photos
These were taken while staying at my family's home in a suburb of Tokyo.

The sun was still setting, but you could see the full moon!

I love cats! I cannot walk by one without saying hello and snapping a picture.

My new favorite medium... children's crayons! Children's crayon in Japan seem different from America. They are softer, more like pastels though not quite so soft.

Here are some pictures of my hotel room.

My beloved washer/dryer!

The awesome kitchentte!

I love tea, so the kettle is great!

The rest of the room... look at that nice TV!

There is a balcony behind the seating area, though the view is nothing special... just a wall of 20 story building next door. When I went to check out the view, I forgot that I am quite afraid of heights. Eeeek!

The room came with slippers and... what is this garment, anyways?

The bathroom! The tub is quite deep, though the room for some reason reminds me of the bathroom in an airplane.

 

Awesome electronic Japanese toilet. Try pressing a button for surprise.