Back in the States

Well, I guess at the end of everything, I didn't get to post as much as I had wanted to. Those two weeks in Japan were pretty hectic, and we got back late every night. I came back yesterday at 9:15 in the morning, and it felt great to be home. Japan is a great place to visit with so many things to see, but after two weeks, I was starting to get a bit homesick. This is a quick post just to say that I'm back. I plan to talk in more detail about my trip in my next entry, and post a few pictures.

And on the seventh day, he might rest....

It is currently the end of my 5th day in Japan.  It's a little confusing because of the whole time zone thing.  Japan in 16 hours ahead of California.  It's been quite an eventful week so far.  I departed at noon from California, and arrived around 2PM in Japan.  It feels like I moved forward through time, and Japan reflects that.  Everything here seems very efficient compared to the US.  The trains and subways are hardly ever late, and there are some places where you use vending machines to order your food and then eat inside.  It's a strange place, but I really like it.  

I've been to Akihabara, the giant electronics district in Tokyo, nearly every night shopping for Gundam models, magazines, and games.  There's just about everything here than any anime or video game junkie could ever want.  One shop alone, Yodobashi Camera, put the entire Dealer's Hall at Anime Expo to shame.  It has everything from cameras and phones to video games and models, all under one roof!  I could go on for hours about this place, but I'll save that for another time, as I plan to devote an entire day to shopping at Akihabara.

Anyways, onto a different subject.  I've been to both Disney parks here, Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea.  Both have their own special charm about them that make you want to open your wallet very often.  They have many different types of food there, from burgers and popcorn, to seafood pizza (really good) and curry (also really good).  I bought a couple of souvenirs, some of them will be going to one lucky little sister.  I won't be posting any pictures of those souvenirs in order to avoid spoiling the surprise.

I've also been to the Pokemon Center in a place called Daimon.  They had a room where kids could go in and play Pokemon with other kids.  Some got lucky enough to get a new Pokemon in their game if it was their birthday.  Inside the actual store was incredible.  The Pokemon Center music from the game played in the background, and the people inside the store were just as cheery as in the game.  Again, there were more cool souvenirs that the same lucky little sister will get soon.  Also, for buying things at the store, they gave me a limited edition Pokemon card as a gift.  

Today, I visited Shibuya, the fashion district of Tokyo.  It was pretty neat, though not my kind of place, since a lot of it seems really overpriced and didn't have too many places to buy games and anime.  I did buy some magazines, though.  I got to see Hachiko, the dog statue, and Shibuya 109.  Both of these are featured in the DS game "The World Ends With You".  So, you can see why I was excited to be here.  

I'm planning to visit places like Tokyo Tower and maybe some temples, so I'll try to post more frequently since I'm not as tired as I have been the past few days.  Walking around all over the place drinking milk tea can be pretty tiring.  I'll be posting pictures of my haul pretty soon, so be on the lookout!

Finally going to Japan!

I figured I would start this blog off with something special. I can't believe this myself, but I'm actually going to Japan for two weeks! Japan: the home of anime (yes, plenty of hentai included), RPG's (non-Western anyway), and a whole bunch of other weird stuff like obsessions with pantsu (see above mention of hentai)! I'm leaving in two days, but I already have to start getting ready; so much to do in so little time.

Currently packing the essentials: DS, PSP, Laptop (hey, 12 hours is a long time sitting down on a plane), and of course my camera. I'm not sure if I will post pictures here, but they will most certainly be on Facebook (maybe Myspace, just maybe). I'm planning on bringing back plenty of souvenirs, so I'm packing relatively light in a large suitcase.

If anyone has been to Japan before and has any "You have to visit...", please let me know, because I want to make sure I get the most out of this trip. That's all for now. I'll try to update while in Japan, but I can't make any promises.