My life goal

It's been a few days now since I've been here, and I feel like I'm starting to adjust. It's hard to stop and realize I have a whole year to do things because I'm so used to having to rush. Everyday we do so much from morning to night just getting settled. I've been doing a lot of shopping, getting the basics for living. I bought a rice cooker, went grocery shopping, and explored the city with the other exchange students. Going out into Japan is just like how you would imagine. Or, I guess I should say, how I imagined. This brings me back to a point about the exchange students who live here. It seems like we all have a common thread for coming to Japan... well, I should say, from the Western countries. I was surprised to find out there are no Australians or British people, but there are a couple Canadians. There are a lot of Koreans and a couple of Chinese. But anyway I digress, It seems like a lot of what first exposed us to Japan was anime. TJ and I were talking a little bit about this earlier yesterday. He said that he understood now how anime came about here. The people here sort of exaggerate their reactions/expressions, and of course TV shows usually already exaggerate that... so that anime is this really crazy exagerration. Anyway, what's really cool to me is that I really feel like I'm in those settings that I remember from my childhood. The parfaits are huge and gorgeous with fruit and things sticking out of them. Yesterday, oh god, I fulfilled my dream. This is stepping into secret silly desire territory.

We went to a huge shopping mall, JUSCO, which some of you may know. It's really interesting. It's all very separated by floor. Anyway, we went to the food floor due to clammoring from a few of us (mainly me and another exchange student, a Korean girl named Hanna).



I did it. I ate awesomely delicious ramen in Japan. I was so happy I thought I was going to cry. I don't know if I can properly explain what I'm talking about so I'm just going to have to give a shout to people who know. The noodles were firm and smooth. The broth was miso-based, and it was little different from Edo's. The pork was a little dry, but very delicious. The bamboo shoots were a little sweeter, but soooo gooood ohhhh goddddd... ahem. Moving on.



The view out my window.



The adorable Shiho-chan.