Tokyo

Well, I did it. I saw what I wanted to see. I can come home now!

I got up at about 5.45am and did the usual which generally involves getting dressed etc. (would be tragic if I missed that crucial step now wouldn`t it!) Anyway, going down stairs my host mum is laughing because she forgot to turn on the rice warmer thing. Not too sure why it was that hilarious but she gets so worked up laughing that she has to stop what she is doing and it is so infectious so I was laughing too, she is gorgeous. So because we had no warm rice she made me a sandwich for the trip, it was cute. Finally arrive at Fukushima station and mum and I wait for the Shinkansen. It pulls up and on I hop, waving as the train takes me away. It was not a good feeling because I am dreading doing the same thing again this week, but this week it is goodbye forever.

Scoffing down my sandwich as I was quite hungry, I hear that we are soon arriving in Koriyama, this means Celvie and Shaun! So at Koriyama Celvie and Shaun also hop on the shinkansen and we were so lucky to have been seated right near each other! Hugs and stories are exchanged as we spend the two hours travelling to Tokyo station. Getting off at Tokyo we were lost at first as to what to do or who to look for. Hence, when all else fails, you take pictures! So I got some awesome pictures of me with a Shinkansen and big Tokyo buildings in the background! Then the three of us head down the flight of stairs which leads to the very enormous and complicated underground station of Tokyo. Walking towards the ticket gates I get out my tickets, surprise surprise, and go through the gate where we see Arissa! She had kindly come to meet us at Tokyo station. Arissa is from orientation in Chiba, a Japanese person who spent a lot of time in an American University. The four of us then meet up with her friend and go and have coffee. Shaun who was being a darling and trying his hardest to order a drink in the noisy cafe takes his time to read the Japanese out on the board until the impatient looking waitress cuts him off with the classic, `Anything else?` Although trying to disguise my laughter, I thought it was a little rude!

An observation I made was the fact that no one was staring me up and down like they`d never seen a foreigner before! Also, I was staring at the foreigners as if I had in fact never seen THEM before. It was clear I was no longer in Fukushima city and also that I have turned half Japanese.

We boarded the train bound for Kasai-Rinkai Park, the park situated next door to Tokyo Disney Land and also the proud host to Japan`s largest Ferris Wheel. Once we arrived, walking down the stairs I saw the other exchange students! Some had changed, some exactly the same but nonetheless I was so amazingly thrilled to see them all! I had seen Naomi and Nicole only the week before at British Hills however the others I hadn`t seen in three months. Once all together we headed towards our area in the huge park.

Our picnic was great fun. There were about 40 people, a mixture of us exchange students and Japanese hosts of the day. We first of all were split into teams, I was yellow and Darren was the only other foreigner in my team. In the team we had to play a game which my relatives from christmas times know quite well in english! It is a trillion times harder in Japanese and a bit different. The first person names a thing they like and their name, the second person names the same thing plus the person before and it goes on until you have trillions of things to remember!

Anyway, when Will turned up he informed us that he in fact had been sleeping in one of those capsual hotels, I won`t steal his thunder, no doubt on his blog he will be explaining all, won`t you Will?

Anyway, as I am leaving in a week and hadn`t yet seen Shibuya, a place in Tokyo I was desperate to see, Shaun, Celvie and I attempted to graciously `slip away` with Ayako from JFIE to do the little bit of exploring. I was so grateful for Ayako`s help because, even though I had been up for getting lost and working things out myself, we only had two hours to do so many things so wasting time was not a priority. We boarded the JR Line towards Tokyo and then changed trains for Harajuku. I was so excited to walk down Harajuku street, the place I hear in that Gwen Stefani song and the place so famous, it was awesome! The things you see are certainly crazy and there were millions of people packing the street.

Walking along the streets between Harajuku and Shibuya, we took many pictures of everything we saw and I was lost for words, I simply walked along with a ridiculous grin on my face not knowing what to say to anyone because I was too happy. Then we reached Shibuya! We went into Shibuya 109 a super tall building and raced through it, making Celvie buy the things she wanted to super quickly! It was so great to see everything, once out of the building it was time for the moment I had been waiting for, get ready for a let down...

We crossed the road. Yes, for those of you thinking I am an absolute idiot, it was not just a crossing of a road. I am not joking when I say there would have been about 1500 people waiting to cross this road all facing in different directions. Thinking that war was about to break out, I step onto the road as everyone else does, weaving my way through the crowds on the road I had so desperately wanted to cross (maybe if you have seen fast and furious 3, there is a scene with this road in it, looking down on all the business people at night like ants...).

We then make it to Hachiko. Hachiko is a statue of a dog which is a famous meeting place for Japanese people. We of course took a picture and then raced into Shibuya station. Quickly buying a 190￥ ticket we then board the train to discuss Shaun`s return Shinkansen ticket. Turns out he has paid about 10 australian dollar more than me and Celvie and still doesn`t have the right tickets to get home. The sad look on his face was actually quite funny, even though my heart went out to him.

Racing against the clock we line up to get Shaun`s extra tickets which cost him another small fortune and then we made it running wildly to the Shinkansen platform. Shaun is in unreserved, Celvie and I are in reserved, so with a quick bow and thankyou to Ayako Celvie and I race along the crowds of people to find out entrance into the Shinkansen, with an uncanny resemblance to that of Jack when he almost misses boarding the Titanic!

We have to get on a few doors down from our carriage but then spend a lot of time finding a row of three seats in unreserved so we can sit with Shaun however the conductor helps us and brings Shaun to the reserved area but won`t let him in unless he pays another 500￥ It was tragically hilarious the way the Shinkansen robbed Shaun of his money that day!

Making it home and waving goodbye to Celvie and Shaun for I don`t know how long, I then met my host family at Fukushima station to take Purikura with my host sisters. Once at home I stumbled up to my bedroom and have been suffering ever since.

Extremely tired, a lot of organising, a lot of lose ends to tie up and on top of that, Today`s english listening test that the whole school does at the end of lunch times on Tuesday was an interview all about me. Yes the whole school was listening to me over a loud speaker talk all about myself and Amelia, if you are reading this, I had to say that you like Totoro. Anyway, ask questions if you want when you see me in 5 nights sleep at the airport on Sunday at noon!

Hopefully fit in another post but this is getting long for now!