The Komachi lobby is a popular hang out spot. Anyone can play video games or board games, watch TV, or just hang out on the couches. A couple of nights ago, I played the Akita edition of Monopoly with some people from America, Korea, China, and Morocco. Yixiang from China also taught us how to play a Chinese card game from his city called Red 10, which was pretty fun once we got the hang of it. I uploaded some pics of a couple meals from the cafeteria as examples, but each meal is different. One thing that stays the same though is miso soup and rice. After a meal is purchased at the cafeteria, students can have unlimited miso soup and rice. So I've been eating rice with all of my meals, but I stopped getting the soup just because I wasn't really drinking it. I've tried many new things and often I'm not really sure what I am trying. Lots of unfamiliar vegetables and things like that. On Saturday I left campus for the first time and rode the bus from AIU to the AEON mall with Janae from Georgia. There were some free buses this weekend, so they were all very full. I was surprised when students pulled down fold-up seats and filled up the aisle way. This wouldn't be allowed most places in the U.S. Japan is a mostly cash-based society; we can only use cash to pay for things on campus, and many shops are cash only, so Janae and I searched for the mall ATMs that accept international cards. We quickly found the first floor ATM, but kept receiving messages saying that the ATM bank could not process our requests at that time. Uncertain as to why that was happening, we set out to find the second floor ATM. A student from Kentucky directed us to the machine, but Janae and I were getting the same message. We left the ATM contemplating our options, but immediately saw a small group of American looking international students. So we started talking with them and discovered that the ATM we needed to use would only let us make withdrawals on week days. Ashley from Delaware had come through Akita Station on her way to AIU, and knew there was a 7-Eleven near there. 7-Eleven is one of the few places foreigners can withdraw cash. So then we all got on the bus and rode to the station, walked to the 7-Eleven, and withdrew cash. We went back to the Station where we found a movie theater, and did puri-kura, which is like a photo booth that lets you draw on and stamp the pictures before they are printed. Despite choosing the regular setting, our eyes were still made bigger in the picture. After getting lunch, we returned to the mall to do our shopping. I mostly got some things for my dorm and school supplies. However, tomorrow we have a matriculation ceremony that we need to dress nicely for, and although I brought dresses, I completely forgot to bring any dress shoes. This worried me because I typically wear an 8.5 (wide if available), and the average Japanese woman's foot is something like a 5 or 5.5. Luckily, I found a cute pair that fit - it was one of the biggest sizes I could find!
Treats from Reina. The left is Nagoyan, and the right is Uirou. So delicious! Miki brought a yummy treat too but I didn't get a picture.
Okay so I made it to Akita on Monday, and now it's Thursday night, which means I have been here for four days. Throughout the past four days I have unpacked my belongings into my dorm room, met my roommate Miki, and suite mate Reina, gone to eight different orientations, taken a Japanese placement test and additional oral interview, and have met people from all over the world (Japan, the U.S., Taiwan, Philippines, Thailand, Australia, England, New Zealand, Ireland, Cypress, France, Germany, Mexico, Canada, Spain, China, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Morocco, Norway, Lithuania and more.) A rather entertaining evacuation drill took place today. After evacuating to the parking lot, gasoline was poured into this huge metal basket and then lit on fire, and a few of the students got practice using the fire extinguisher. Then a few students climbed up a ladder onto a fire escape balcony and got to practice releasing and climbing down the built in ladder. It was pretty exciting. I've been quite busy and tired lately, but I promise to get more Akita pictures up soon with more info about my awesome suite mates!
Had my last breakfast in Tokyo at the Isozaki's with the Taketani ladies as well. It was so good to catch up after three years! I was sad to leave Tokyo, but excited to start school activities in Akita.
So I got this lovely cake and ice cream combo in the afternoon while out with Moe and Azusa (who both studied abroad at Gonzaga). Moe explained that it's common for people to get sweets in the afternoon around 3 p.m. or so. I'm gonna roll with it.
Shabu shabu and tsukiyaki for dinner with Moe, Maiko, and Azusa. Sort of like dinner fondue... we cooked many things at our table. I was going to order water, and found out it was self-serve at at the area where we chose what foods we wanted to cook. So I went to get my water and saw this drink dispenser where you put your cup underneath and push the button of the drink you want. I filled one of the available cups with water, and another with a cherry beverage - completely intending to pay for this cherry drink. After a few minutes back at the table though, a waitress came and told my friends something in Japanese that I didn't totally understand. But basically, I wasn't supposed to take the cherry drink. My friends said that the first one I had gotten was fine, but that I shouldn't get more. So I'm guessing that I was supposed to let the waiter know I wanted the cherry drink, and then they would have given me a different cup. Moe, Maiko, and Azusa ordered cocktails and beer (which I can also order in Japan), so they didn't need to use the drink dispenser from which I got the cherry drink, otherwise maybe I would've figured it out haha. In the end though, I wasn't charged for the cherry drink. I think in the U.S. I would've been charged. Sometimes when your in a different country, you just gotta go with the flow.
From right to left: Me, Yukiko, Kubotchi, & Yurika.
Cinderella's Castle!
Vending machines are a part of modern Japanese culture. Here are some cool vending machines from inside Tokyo Disneyland!
Kind of hard to see, but Disneyland's Frontierland is known as Westernland in the Tokyo park.
Burger with an egg!
The Winnie the Pooh ride is one of my favorites here. Much cooler than the American Pooh rides & available for fast passes! Technical difficulties stopped the ride and we had to walk off, but we could see the exit so really it wasn't like we missed anything.
Tokyo Disneyland was a lot of fun, but I'm still dealing with jetlag, so it pretty much wiped me out. I'm lucky to have some time in Japan before going to school!
Yummy lunch - avocado cheese hamburg with rice and miso soup. Good salad served before, as well. Thanks for taking me Akiko!
Panicked this morning when I couldn't find deodorant in my carry-on. Today's high is 93 degrees Fahrenheit and it's very humid here! Luckily I haven't sent my other luggage to Akita yet and actually had packed deodorant in there. 😅