1/24 post... Misokatsu! And Nao's family. :)
1/24/2006 11:08 PM -
So I said I'd write about yesterday today, so I'm keeping my word. Even though today was tons more interesting.
We stayed in Kanda night before last, and got up at about 8:30-9:00 to catch another train. It was BACK to Osaka for us! Took the train to Osaka (3 hours of sudoku fun... And obento!), then took the subway to the Mekiki office in Osaka, which was conveniently attached to the subway station. Stayed there for several hours.... My dad had a meeting. I typed for a bit (wrote my detailed Osaka entry)... The meeting took a while, so I messed around on my computer.
Then finally the meeting was over, and my dad and I had another train to catch! We went to Nagoya to meet with a relative of Kanda's (who's real name my dad told me, but I already forgot... I'm too used to just calling her Kanda).
We rode the train for about an hour, then arrived at Nagoya. Quickly checked into a hotel, then went back to the station to meet our relative (who is not related by blood, but still...). We met Kanae at the station, then went to find a restaurant to try a Nagoya specialty.... Misokatsu! It's tonkatsu with miso.... And I loved it! My dad got the Waragi tonkatsu, which was like a jumbo size tonkatsu. It was HUGE!!!!!!! I just had the misokatsu, which was great... Yummy! Pictures will come later.
After that, we went out for pudding, to my dad's favorite pudding place (according to him). It was SO GOOD!!!!! Best pudding I've ever eaten!!!!! Picture of that will come too.... But it will not compare to the beautiful beautiful taste.....
After that, we decided to go for the Nagoya view.... We went up into a tower to some windows with a great view. My pictures were strange because of the glass, but I'll post one or two anyway. It was really pretty. Kind of big.... But hey.
After that, it was to the hotel. Kanae caught a train back home, and my dad and I went to our hotel. I connected to the internet via ethernet, and posted some stuff in my blog.... Although more backlogged stuff will come. Eventually it was time for bed, so I had to get offline.
This morning we got up, then went to breakfast. Bread... Toasty bread. Good toasty bread. Provided by the hotel.
After that it was back to the room to use the net for a bit. Used that until we had to catch another train.
We took the train to Tokyo, about 2 hours (of sudoku, of course!). Then we took another train to meet with Yuko, one of my dad's friends. I hadn't seen her in AGES. I could barely remember her.... We went to lunch, where I had some really good ramen. MUCH better than that instant stuff college students in America live off of....
After that, Yuko had to go to some meeting at TIS, Tokyo International School. My dad and I had an hour to kill, so we searched for a post office we saw earlier (my dad needed money, and the post offices here also act as banks). Then we went to a café, where I had a piece of strawberry shortcake and some iced tea.... Yummy.
Then at 3:00 it was back at TIS, for a Japanese class. We were guests in the older kids beginning level non-native Japanese class. It was interesting... Kind of fun. I forgot how insane elementary kids are, but it was still fun.
After that my dad went.... Somewhere. I'm not 100% sure where. I stayed in the lobby thing of TIS, with Yuko's daughter, Nao. I hadn't seen Nao for years either.... When I was 9, or something. Anyway, we stayed in the lobby-ish area. I used my iBook, with TIS' open wifi network. There was also an iMac (old one... "mochi computer"), that another kid was using.... We were both on Neopets. :p It was awesome. I also chatted with Kento a bit, since he was on.
After my dad came back, Nao, Yuko, him, and me all went to Yuko's house. It was fun for me, because I was able to speak English so freely, while being understood. It was nice.... Really nice. Nao's little sister (3 years old) was kind of crazy (a carbon copy of me when I was little)... But it was still fun. :p I showed them some pics on my computer, then Nao and I went to the store to pick up some stuff for dinner. When we came back it was dinner time.... Shyabu shyabu. Strange name, good food. Pictures will be included later. I cheated... Using tongs for the meat instead of chopsticks... I was having a bad chopsticks day though, and when it involves boiling water (drop meat in boiling water, then take it out and eat it), I'll take the tongs.... They worked well. :p
After dinner I went up to Nao's room and we talked for a while. It was fun. :) And I loved talking in English again.... I know I need to practice Japanese more, but some time for English is welcomed... Really welcomed. And it was fun. :)
Eventually though, we had to go. I was invited to go back, which I probably will do happily. There was also a trading of e-mail addresses in order.... :) Then it was time to go, though.
My dad and I walked to the train station, then got tickets (it wasn't part of JR, so our rail passes wouldn't work). We took the train to a station where we could transfer to a JR line, then did so. Within a few stops however, we were kicked off the train. There had been an accident at a station on the line, and because of the set up of that line (a circle), they had to stop ALL trains.
We got off and switched over to another train, along with many many people.... As we went to more stations, the train just kept packing more and more. People kicked off the other line were switching to the train we were on, which runs parallel (for a while anyway) to the line that was stopped. As we got closer to Tokyo station, we got less room. I can honestly say I have never been so squished. My back was flat against the door, my dad was DIRECTLY in front of me (no way I could have fallen forwards..... Too squished), and there was some Japanese guy squished against my side.... On my other side were seats.... I know that isn't TOO uncommon in Japan during rush hour, but it put a WHOLE new meaning to packed like sardines.... We were more packed then sardines! THere was honestly no room to move... It was INSANE! Like nothing I've ever experienced before.... I'm not claustrophobic (I actually like most small spaces), but if that was anyone other than my dad in front of me (which was awkward enough), or if I wasn't by the door and seats, I probably would have waited for another train....
Fortunately lots of people got off at Tokyo. We decided to also, and switch to another line that would get us to Kanda. A LOT less crowded. Still a bit crowded, but nothing compared to that blue line train (the one that was PACKED)... Yikes!
However, we survived the ordeal, and made it back to Kanda in one piece each. We walked to Kanda's house, munched some stawberries, and that's where I am now....
I think I'll practice some kanji (got some Japanese notebooks to practice with!), then head to bed. Back to Kimitsu tomorrow!
So I said I'd write about yesterday today, so I'm keeping my word. Even though today was tons more interesting.
We stayed in Kanda night before last, and got up at about 8:30-9:00 to catch another train. It was BACK to Osaka for us! Took the train to Osaka (3 hours of sudoku fun... And obento!), then took the subway to the Mekiki office in Osaka, which was conveniently attached to the subway station. Stayed there for several hours.... My dad had a meeting. I typed for a bit (wrote my detailed Osaka entry)... The meeting took a while, so I messed around on my computer.
Then finally the meeting was over, and my dad and I had another train to catch! We went to Nagoya to meet with a relative of Kanda's (who's real name my dad told me, but I already forgot... I'm too used to just calling her Kanda).
We rode the train for about an hour, then arrived at Nagoya. Quickly checked into a hotel, then went back to the station to meet our relative (who is not related by blood, but still...). We met Kanae at the station, then went to find a restaurant to try a Nagoya specialty.... Misokatsu! It's tonkatsu with miso.... And I loved it! My dad got the Waragi tonkatsu, which was like a jumbo size tonkatsu. It was HUGE!!!!!!! I just had the misokatsu, which was great... Yummy! Pictures will come later.
After that, we went out for pudding, to my dad's favorite pudding place (according to him). It was SO GOOD!!!!! Best pudding I've ever eaten!!!!! Picture of that will come too.... But it will not compare to the beautiful beautiful taste.....
After that, we decided to go for the Nagoya view.... We went up into a tower to some windows with a great view. My pictures were strange because of the glass, but I'll post one or two anyway. It was really pretty. Kind of big.... But hey.
After that, it was to the hotel. Kanae caught a train back home, and my dad and I went to our hotel. I connected to the internet via ethernet, and posted some stuff in my blog.... Although more backlogged stuff will come. Eventually it was time for bed, so I had to get offline.
This morning we got up, then went to breakfast. Bread... Toasty bread. Good toasty bread. Provided by the hotel.
After that it was back to the room to use the net for a bit. Used that until we had to catch another train.
We took the train to Tokyo, about 2 hours (of sudoku, of course!). Then we took another train to meet with Yuko, one of my dad's friends. I hadn't seen her in AGES. I could barely remember her.... We went to lunch, where I had some really good ramen. MUCH better than that instant stuff college students in America live off of....
After that, Yuko had to go to some meeting at TIS, Tokyo International School. My dad and I had an hour to kill, so we searched for a post office we saw earlier (my dad needed money, and the post offices here also act as banks). Then we went to a café, where I had a piece of strawberry shortcake and some iced tea.... Yummy.
Then at 3:00 it was back at TIS, for a Japanese class. We were guests in the older kids beginning level non-native Japanese class. It was interesting... Kind of fun. I forgot how insane elementary kids are, but it was still fun.
After that my dad went.... Somewhere. I'm not 100% sure where. I stayed in the lobby thing of TIS, with Yuko's daughter, Nao. I hadn't seen Nao for years either.... When I was 9, or something. Anyway, we stayed in the lobby-ish area. I used my iBook, with TIS' open wifi network. There was also an iMac (old one... "mochi computer"), that another kid was using.... We were both on Neopets. :p It was awesome. I also chatted with Kento a bit, since he was on.
After my dad came back, Nao, Yuko, him, and me all went to Yuko's house. It was fun for me, because I was able to speak English so freely, while being understood. It was nice.... Really nice. Nao's little sister (3 years old) was kind of crazy (a carbon copy of me when I was little)... But it was still fun. :p I showed them some pics on my computer, then Nao and I went to the store to pick up some stuff for dinner. When we came back it was dinner time.... Shyabu shyabu. Strange name, good food. Pictures will be included later. I cheated... Using tongs for the meat instead of chopsticks... I was having a bad chopsticks day though, and when it involves boiling water (drop meat in boiling water, then take it out and eat it), I'll take the tongs.... They worked well. :p
After dinner I went up to Nao's room and we talked for a while. It was fun. :) And I loved talking in English again.... I know I need to practice Japanese more, but some time for English is welcomed... Really welcomed. And it was fun. :)
Eventually though, we had to go. I was invited to go back, which I probably will do happily. There was also a trading of e-mail addresses in order.... :) Then it was time to go, though.
My dad and I walked to the train station, then got tickets (it wasn't part of JR, so our rail passes wouldn't work). We took the train to a station where we could transfer to a JR line, then did so. Within a few stops however, we were kicked off the train. There had been an accident at a station on the line, and because of the set up of that line (a circle), they had to stop ALL trains.
We got off and switched over to another train, along with many many people.... As we went to more stations, the train just kept packing more and more. People kicked off the other line were switching to the train we were on, which runs parallel (for a while anyway) to the line that was stopped. As we got closer to Tokyo station, we got less room. I can honestly say I have never been so squished. My back was flat against the door, my dad was DIRECTLY in front of me (no way I could have fallen forwards..... Too squished), and there was some Japanese guy squished against my side.... On my other side were seats.... I know that isn't TOO uncommon in Japan during rush hour, but it put a WHOLE new meaning to packed like sardines.... We were more packed then sardines! THere was honestly no room to move... It was INSANE! Like nothing I've ever experienced before.... I'm not claustrophobic (I actually like most small spaces), but if that was anyone other than my dad in front of me (which was awkward enough), or if I wasn't by the door and seats, I probably would have waited for another train....
Fortunately lots of people got off at Tokyo. We decided to also, and switch to another line that would get us to Kanda. A LOT less crowded. Still a bit crowded, but nothing compared to that blue line train (the one that was PACKED)... Yikes!
However, we survived the ordeal, and made it back to Kanda in one piece each. We walked to Kanda's house, munched some stawberries, and that's where I am now....
I think I'll practice some kanji (got some Japanese notebooks to practice with!), then head to bed. Back to Kimitsu tomorrow!
posted by Emi at 9:19 PM
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