FRIST

Some background info: I'm a student at the University of San Francisco studying abroad in Tokyo, Japan for a year at Sophia University (aka 上智大学). I've been watching Japanese cartoons since I was a kid on Cartoon Network, but I didn't really get into Japanese culture until around 7th grade, where my friends were really into anime and I started getting CDs of anime soundtracks and merchandise. This carried through high school. Once I got into college, I started watching anime less but the interest in the culture is still there. It's less OH MY GOD ANIME IS AMAZING and more Japanese culture is so different from the West yet it's still a first world country WHAT AM I LOOKING AT THIS IS SO WEIRD OH MY GOD, if that makes sense. If I had to pick a poison though, it would definitely be Japanese female idol groups. Cute girls in cute outfits singing cute songs with cute dances nnngh.

I share an apartment in Itabashi with my friend Sara. It's been eight days since I stepped off the plane, and it's equal parts amazing yet the same as the US. Sure, the language is different and I sleep on tatami and have to air out my futon in the day, but it's not like I'm surrounded by gundam and magical girls or anything. Going to the store isn't very exciting unless you mistake the girl working in the bakery for a hot guy, or they play the Indiana Jones theme on repeat (which they do, all the time). The last few days have been pretty lay-low sort of days.

Technically I already have an in-Japan blog (here) so this seems vaguely superfluous. However, my aunts and uncles and grandparents read that, so I can't really tell stories like this:

Sara and I are in the bakery in the department store Daiei. There is a cute guy with dyed blond hair cut to around his ears working there. Sara gets him as a cashier. I'm admiring him as Sara's paying. I notice that underneath the baking outfit there are boobs. I am disappoint.

Hopefully you understand. Plus, a lot of my excitement is over Japanese idols, which would probably confuse and concern older generations. \o/ Look how cute Erena Ono from AKB48 is!!


This is getting a bit long so I'll make another post when I get back tonight (tomorrow morning for you guys in America). We've been hearing traditional music the past few days, and when Sara and I saw lanterns down a street when we were coming back to the apartment last night we had to check it out. Turns out there's some sort of festival going on tonight form 6-9pm, one of the staff members was really excited to tell us about it (translating through a shaky younger guy). At the end the man said 待っているよ which the younger guy embarrassingly translated as "waiting for you" so we'd disappoint him if we didn't go.

Ja,
Blondie