★Tokyo Disney Jamboree!★

So I didn't call this blog Japisney for nothing! It's supposed to be a blog about my adventures in Japan and Disney! Well....I finally got to the Disney part :3 Well, at least the Tokyo Disney part of my adventure!
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This weekend was one of the most magical times of my life!!! I'm 21 years old and Disney doesn't cease to bring sparkles and rainbows into my life!!

My friend Maiko and I decided to go to Tokyo Disneyland on Saturday. Unfortunately, I didn't get a super amount of sleep from the past few nights. So with only three hours of sleep from Friday night, I happily skipped onto Tokyo Disney at around 6 am on Saturday morning. Even so, I was so excited that the lack of sleep didnt faze me at all! hahahaha!

I found the train stop to Disney no problem! It was about a 35 minute commute which wasn't bad at all! It actually didn't hit me that I was going to Disney until I stepped out of the train and heard one of my favorite jingles playing on the train.

"Zippidee do daa! Zippidee day!"

When I heard that, my heart started beating like crazy!! I actually almost got a little teary eyed when I heard the music just from being overwhelmed with happiness! XD But I'm a sap like that....

However, once Cinderella's castle came into view, I almost had a heart attack! XD Hahahahha! It was just so pretty! I couldn't contain my excitement!!

I was so happy once I found Maiko!! We bought our tickets (only $100 for a two day pass! Thats SOOOO cheap compared to Florida ticket prices!) We hopped in line and waited for the park to open as we chatted away about how excited we were <3

Right when we got into the park, we saw Mickey Mouse from afar!! He was taking pictures with other people so we didnt get a chance to get a picture with him....but it was so nice seeing him ^__^

I have to admit! The Tokyo Disneyland park was BEAUTIFUL! I was really taken back! It was a lot different than the one back in Florida! It had a lot of the same rides that we have but it had a few that we don't ;) It was definitely an experience!!

I had heard rumors about how crowded Tokyo Disney is to the point where lines are horrible and you have to wait FOREVER to ride anything. Well, right off the bat Maiko and I went to grab some Fast Passes so we could ride the more popular rides with out having to wait in line. We grabbed a pass for Thunder Mountain first before heading to ride some of the smaller rides.

We started out riding Peter Pan's Flight. Thats always been one of my favorites since I adore Peter Pan! It was so cool riding it and listening to the Japanese audio <3 Ride wise, it was about the same as the one in America :) Next, we rode Snow White's Adventures. Now this ride was COMPLETELY different than the one in Walt Disney World! However, it still freaked me out.... Hahahaha! I remember being petrified of this ride as a kid! I remember I closed my eyes on the ride every single time I rode it until I was in high school and I rode it with Ricey when we went on my 18th birthday! But...even though Im 21, I still got unnerved riding it when the animatronic witch got up in my face and when the gator logs came right up to the cart! hahahaha! However, the japanese ride doesn't have a happy ending where Snow White gets kissed by the prince. Instead the ride ends with the witch trying to throw the boulder on you! hahaha! I was surprised!

After Snow White, we rode Pinnochio's Daring Journey! This is a ride we don't have in America!! It's like the Snow White and Peter Pan ride but you get to travel through the world of Pinnochio! ^_^ It was really cute and kinda cool! Until Monstro showed up and scared the nibblets outta me...

"It's A Small World" came after Pinocchio! And then Maiko and I saw Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder! ^____^ They were so perfect! It was funny because they were Americans! hahahah!

We then rode Thunder Mountain and Haunted Mansion! ^__^ It was so much fun! The Haunted Mansion was very similar to the one in Walt Disney World! Only a few minor changes like the bride in the attic and stuff...

Oh! But Tokyo Disney had a Rodger Rabbit ride!! I was so excited!! I'm a big fan of Jessica Rabbit so I was very excited to ride this!!

It was a very fun ride with a lot of twists and turns!! I really loved the layout of it! We had to wait in line for it for awhile but it was definitely worth it!! Oh, but before Rodger Rabbit, Maiko and I met Goofy and Pluto (GOOBY PLZ!) and got our picture taken with them!! I was so excited!! I love Disney characters <3

Splash Mountain came next--one of my favorite Disney classic rides!! All the songs were in Japanese but it was still so cool hearing Briar Rabbit sing my favorite tunes in Nihongo! <3 Of course, the ride made me very nervous since I hate big drops! It didn't help that the ride was messing up a little too and all the logs were jamming up together....Luckily, they stopped jamming them as people went down the slope....that could have been dangerous >_<;;;

I started feeling a little sick after Splash Mountain because I was getting really hungry....The Stich icecream cone I had had earlier just didn't satisfy my tummy! hahahaha! We ate in Tomorrow Land where we had yummy burgers! ^_^ It was so lovely!  Oh, and we got to meet Angel (Stitch's girlfriend) inside Tomorrow Land! She was so cute! <3

We grabbed a Fast Pass for Space Mountain and then tried to find the Monster's Inc. show! Unfortunately the Monsters Inc. comedy show was temporarily closed so we couldn't ride it....We did, however, head to Pirates of the Caribbean ;D Along the way, we happened to see a bunch of pirates performing on the street with trumpets and drums! It was so much fun! <3

The Pirates of the Caribbean ride was similar yet different compared to Disney World's. The entrance was a bit different but once you got down into the ride, it was rather identical. The audio was completely in English and it made me VERY nostalgic XD I loved seeing Jack Sparrow's animatronic though! He looks so life-like! <3 hee hee!

After Pirates, I got to take a picture by the man I look up to most--Walt Disney!

After that, it was time for a good ole' Philhar Magic show ;D  Philhar Magic is basically a 3D movie experience about Donald visiting different Disney worlds through Mickey's hat. There's something about this show that just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! Probably because it plays songs from top favorite Disney movies-- Beauty and The Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Peter Pan, and of course, the Little Mermaid!! I actually got a little teary eyed while watching it because I got moved so much ^__^;;; Yep. I'm a sap. I'm not going to be working for Disney for nothing XD hahahahaha!

After Philhar Magic, Maiko and I got to take a tour of the Cinderella castle and got to see a lot of Cinderella goodies! We got a lot of cute pictures and even got to see some beautiful Cinderella paintings! It was so beautiful! <3 I wonder if I'll ever have a fairy tale ending like Cinderella? ♪ヽ( ⌒o⌒)人(⌒-⌒ )v ♪

 After the castle tour, we got to see a fantastic parade! ^___^ It was SOOOO cool!! There were so many floats!! But my camera was running low on battery so I couldn't film the entire thing.... But I think Maiko got some good pictures and videos of the parade so Ill have those to keep later ^__^

After the parade, we got to meet Snow White and the mice from Cinderella ^_^ We got some super kawaii pictures!! Oh, but Snow White didn't know Japanese and a bunch of Japanese people bombarded her, wanting pictures and autographs so we didn't get to talk to her for very long! I still wish I was princess at Disney World...

The rest of the day went by pretty fast.... We got to re-ride some other dies and I even went on Space Mountain (which was a first for me!) I was super nervous about riding it since I'm not a huge fan of roller coasters....but once I did, I was super happy! ^_^ It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! Like, there weren't many drops and stuff hahahaha!

At some point, we just kept re-riding rides and even went into Minnie's House! ^_^ The crowds really weren't all that bad! I remember my host mom said that the last time she went and took the kids, they only got to ride three rides.... At the end of the day, Maiko and I rode about 17 XD hahahaha! No lie! It was so amazing!! I got to ride everything I wanted to! ^_^

We ended the day with watching the electric light parade and then watching the dance show at the Cinderella castle. The light parade was spectacular (of course <3) and I even got to see some of my favorite characters!

The show at the castle was a lot of fun, too! But it was more of a water show then a fireworks show....Maiko and I got SOAKED XD They kept shooting out water and drenched the crowd! It was a very different show then the one they normally have in Disney World but I was very happy!!

The day officially ended once we rode Pooh's Honey Hunt--yet another ride we don't have in America. It was one of my favorite's and it was a lot of fun! You got to ride in a honey jar and explore the world of Winnie the Pooh! So cute <3

So in short, my day at Tokyo Disneyland with Maiko was a PERFECT day!! We were there from opening until closing! Hahahaha! We walked around for 13 hours! We got to do and see so much! It was definitely a day that I'll never forget!!

Im sorry if I kind of bored you all just talking about the rides and the play-by-play of everything....This blog that I wrote tonight was mostly for me to read in a few years from now when I want to remember all that happened at Tokyo Disney. Not many people can say they've been to Tokyo Disney and I eventually plan to visit EVERY single disney park in the whole world!! ^_^

Its about 1 am right now so I'll write about Tokyo Disney Sea tomorrow ;D Once again, I'm sorry if you got bored reading about all of this.....I promise I wont make my next blogs after Disney be a complete play-by-play! I'll even touch this one up later to not make it so boring for everyone! hahahaha!

Until next time....<3

✿ฺ㋛✿~Never Wanting to Leave~✿ฺ㋛✿

26 days left. The more I'm here, the more I never want to leave. Can I really do it all in 26 days??

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I'm still having the time of my life here in Japan! This weekend was very special, too! I was supposed to do Odaiba this weekend but instead I went to the Sky Tree with Lee on Saturday and then Harajuku on Sunday with Kitty and Adrian :) Ahhhhhhh so much fun times!!

Of course, doing the Sky Tree for the second time was just as awesome as going the first time. I never get tired of looking out in the city lights of Tokyo! Going in the evening time is perfect because you can see all the fun and dazzling sparkly lights! hahahaha! I also got to buy some Sky Tree post cards to send to my lovelies back home~~<3

Saturday went by wayyyyyyyy too fast.....Why couldnt it have lasted a little bit longer?? I need my weekends to go by slow so I can enjoy them and bask in them XD

But Sunday was a fun time with Kitty and Adrian XD Got to have a spectacular time shopping with two crazy ladies!! They literally killed me! We went into the equivalent of a Japanese fashion thrift store. Got to see a lot of cool stuff! Except for a dress that was made out of five dress shirts buttoned together to make one hot mess.

They had the sleeves and pockets and everything on it!! I don't think I've ever laughed so hard at a random piece of clothing in my entire life! hahahaha! I love Harajuku...<3

After shopping, we went into a dessert store that was a lot like Yogurt Mountain where you mix and match your own dessert <3  I chose ice cream with lots of yummy treats inside!  SO DELICIOUS!

After Harajuku, I came home to be tackled by a very enthusiastic Taiga who wanted me to play a board game with him. Gosh, these kids are just too darn cute.... I was really exhausted and wasn't feeling well but I just couldn't say no to Taiga's adorable face <3

After the board game, I started feeling REALLY sick and checked my temperature--100.9 (*´Д｀)=з How did I let myself get that sick?! I did have a headache most of the day but to have a  fever.....bah!! Luckily, I'm feeling much better and I was able to break my fever for the most part. So I think I'll be okay!

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So far, I'm having the BEST time ever in Japan! I've already seen and done so much but there's still a few things I really wanna do!

• Odaiba!
• Tokyo Disney Land and Tokyo Disney Sea
• See Maiko ^0^
• Karaoke AGAIN! 
• Cat cafe!
• NANA cafe!
• Go to Akihabara on a Sunday IN COSPLAY!
• Get Rise cosplay pics at the Purikura in Akiba that lets you rent cosplays for free <3
• maybe an onsen again! ^_^
• max out social links with everyone! I think everyone is about 6 or 7....I need to reach 10 so a mysterious voice will ring in my head and tell me that I have made an unbreakable bond ;A; (Persona reference hahahaha)
• Maid cafe!
• Tokyo Tower
• Buy a bumload of souvenirs!
• Dance cluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuub! <3
• More Izakaya-ing <3

Hm...I'm sure there's a lot more to add to my list >~<;; But I hope I have enough time to do all of that stuff....*le sigh* 2 months just wasn't enough time...But if I stayed any longer, then I wouldn't be able to go to Disney and I would probably run out of money very quickly :( Tokyo is just so darn expensive!

But a lot can happen in 26 days. I just gotta keep my chin up and have the best darn'd time of my life!! LETS DO THIS! <3

☆Another Day in Japan☆

Time keeps passing like the speed of lightning. When will it slow down? ;A;

This week was a lot of fun! ^_^ I got to do some things I'd never really imagine that I'd do..... Like going on a huge farris wheel!! I went to go visit my friend's dorm in Kasai a few days ago and right next to their dorm is a HUGE farris wheel!! And I got to even go on it! It was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO incredible!!!

The farris wheel was GIGANTIC!! We went in the evening so you got to see all the beautiful lights and stuff from Tokyo! And....I EVEN GOT TO SEE THE DISNEY CASTLE FROM THE FARRIS WHEEL! It was the most exciting thing ever!!! I got to see the Tokyo Disney castle change colors and I even got to see some fireworks!! It was so beautiful!! Ahhhhhhh Disney, how I love you so much! <3

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For some reason, this week just seemed to fly by. I'm really having a hard time focusing in class because there's so much I want to go out and do and so much I want to see!! I don't want to spend all my time in class! hahaha! I need to keep studying hard though so I can make a good grade...

I'm happy to say that I've finally eaten at a ramen shop and I finally had some Taiyaki ^_^ Im REALLY loving the food here! And of course, my host mom is the best cook ever!  I also went to an Okonomiyaki place in honor of Ricey Gomez! hahahaha! Only, I didn't order Okonomiyaki since the menu confused me.... Instead, I ordered something called Teppengaki? Teppenyaki? Tengaki? Shoot, I don't remember. Either way, it was a 7$ meal consisting only of two pieces of scallops and a tomato. I tried explaining to the waiter that I messed up my order since I thought I was ordering okonomiyaki but I guess he didn't understand my Japanese and he didn't know any English.....so I just ate it and dealt with it hahahaha.

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Last night, I had a cooking class after school that taught us how to make curry!! It was SOOOO exciting! I'm a terrible cook so I really enjoyed learning how to make stuff!! The whole deal was that some people from KCP got to take the class by using a lottery since a lot of people wanted to take it. I was one of the lucky participants! YAY!

We got to meet with a bunch of Japanese students who cooked with us as a part of the class. It was so great! The girl in my group was named Tomoko and she was super sweet! I only wish I knew more Japanese.....I keep feeling so stupid compared to everyone since my Japanese is below average Y_Y;; I'm hoping things will change soon and I'll become super pro at it!! I can't give up just yet! <3

After a long time of cooking and preparing the food (I GOT TO CUT VEGETABLES WITH A SHARP KNIFE AND I DIDNT CUT MYSELF! YAY ME!), we made some delicious spicy curry! It was....really REALLY spicy to me! But I wanted to eat it anyways since I helped prepare it!! It was probably super delicious thanks to Lee's awesome cooking skills since I'm severely lacking them Y_Y;; I am a disgrace to the female species...


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Today, I'm trying to make plans with a friend to see the Sky Tree again :) I can't wait!! And maybe tomorrow, Odaiba?? I really want to go!! I want to see the huge Gundam and the beach and the shopping district! And the everything! Hahahahaha!! Well, maybe I can write more later.... I'm just VERY anxious to see what exciting things await me tonight and tomorrow!! Who knows what'll happen? ^_^

♡1 Month Left♡

So it's official. I have exactly one month left in Japan. Why does it feel like time has completely flown by? It seems like it was just yesterday that Brenna and I arrived in Japan on our flight.... And it feels like just yesterday that I started meeting all the awesome people that I know now even though it feels like I've known them forever ^_^;;; Am I even making sense? Ha ha!

So to start off my final month in Japan, I'm starting to make a list of things I've already done and things I want to do! But for now, I'll write about how awesome my weekend was!

I had a great time with Lee as we ate sushi at Tsukiji and then chilled at Akihabara!! I can't believe I'm going to say this but I'm REALLLLLLLLLLLLY starting to love raw fish! ha ha! For those of you who know me, you'd know that before I came to Japan, I'd never touch the pure raw stuff. But now? I'm totally loving it!! And Akihabara is always fun!! So overall, I had a blast with Lee ^_^ Can't wait to do it again!

Next off, my host family took me to....um....they took me to the countryside at some place whose name I completely forgot because I'm a derp. Either way, it was a quaint little town in the country side! Ha ha ha! It was about maybe 2 hours from Tokyo so I watched "My Neighbor Totoro" in the car with the kids until Taiga fell asleep on me ♡ We went to stay with Masae-san's parents so we could go to a Japanese festival Sunday evening.


Oh. My. Lawd.


EVERYTHING WAS AMAZING!!! I absolutely loved Masae-san's parents! Japanese old people are sooooo much fun! They were so incredibly nice to me!! They were amazed that I knew Japanese (Even though I'm terrible...) and they kept wanting me to talk with them and what-not. They were so incredibly sweet! Oh, and their house was REALLY big! It was very traditional with tatami mats and a table you had to sit on the floor to eat on! It was so great!


When we first arrived to the country side, my host parents took me shopping while the grandparents stayed with the twins. We ate udon together which is definitely becoming my favorite dish! (I have to be careful not to get fat over it...) We then went to the mall and I found a REALLY cute skirt for 5$!! I also found a houndstooth skirt for about $7 and bought it mostly because I was just in shock that they actually had houndstooth in Japan. Ha ha! Annnnnnnnnnnd these skirts have been the only things I've been able to find that actually fit me....I hate being a fat American ha ha! 


After shopping, we went back to the house to get ready for the festival. I had bought a very cheap Yukata just for this occasion! It was about 12$ in total for the robe and the obi! VERY cheap! <3 But....I was kind of stupid and didn't realize just how complicated Yukata really are （。_°☆＼(- - ) バシっ！

It took Masae-san about an hour to get me fully dressed in my yukata ^_^'''' It was one of her first times at trying a bow on the yukata and it took us FOREVER to figure it out! Finally, we managed to get it securely on! But WOW those things are tight..... Like....really tight. I could barely breathe. But I didn't complain and I just sucked it up! Plus, I was in a YUKATA, after all!! How many Americans can say that they went to a traditional Japanese festival in a yukata?! Er....probably a lot but still!! Let me enjoy my moment! ha ha!

The festival was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO lovely! Like....beyond expectations!! There were floats like in a parade and EVERYBODY was wearing a yukata! I got a lot of stares for being the only American at that festival....but I felt special <3 

But WOW the food was AMAZING! They had all kinds of booths and stuff! I was able to try Takoyaki for the first time and discovered that I really love octopus! (Once again, I bet my friends and family from home are all shocked...) It's just sooooo yummy!! I also had some yummy yakisoba!! Oh, and their cotton candy was fantabulous, too! AND THE OHAGI! Unfortunately, my obi was tied soooo tight that I couldn't eat very much.... 


The festival almost felt like a dream!! ^_^ The grandparents went with us and grandpa kept introducing me to all his friends and was doting on me for being able to speak Japanese.... I got a feeling that gramps really liked me which made me feel REALLY special! He bought ohagi especially for me since he knew I had never had it! Ahhhhhhh! He just wayyyyy too sweet!!


After the festival, I pretty much went back to the grandparents' home and crashed. I took a lot of pictures from the festival so I can't wait to upload them! (Ugh, I really need to get into the habit of uploading pics to my blog! Why am I so lazy??)


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Although the country side was beautiful, something happened at 5 in the morning that really gave me a HUGE scare. Another earthquake.


Okay, so I had already been in two earthquakes so you think I'd be okay with them by now. NOOOOOPE. This one literally almost made me scream. It was a Level 3 earthquake (which to my host family was considered VERY small, but to me, it was bigger than Texas) and I was dead asleep and it woke me right up. The whole house started shaking and rattling and even a few things fell off the shelves. I just threw the covers over my head, latched onto my Totoro plushie, and prayed for it to be over soon. It lasted for a full 45 seconds which may not seem very long but when it happened, it was the longest thing EVER!!! AHHHHH I wanted to cry!! They're just so scary!! 


This morning, my host family asked if I was okay. They seemed totally unfazed by it but they must have known it scared the living daylights out of me. They tried to reassure me that it didn't do any damage but I was still nervous ha ha!! (I'm sure my mom will be, too, when she reads it!) The earthquake wasn't terrible but I was still shaken up over it. (HA! Get it?! 'Shaken up'?! HA! Pun DEFINITELY intended!) 


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So this morning, my host family decided they wanted to take me to a place called Nikko （　・∀・） You should definitely look it up! It's a very historical and touristy place in the country side! I got to even go up a mountain by climbing 200 hundred steps XD It was SOOOOOOOOOOOO cool! I got to see all kinds of shrines and temples!! I even got to see Tokugawa Ieyasu's grave!!!!!! (*゜Д゜*) IT. WAS. SO. COOOOOOOL!!!

Not to mention, I got to eat udon again! <3 (Totally gonna get fat here...)


But ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Nikko was just so amazing!! I got to learn a lot more about Japanese history and culture! ^_^ Not to mention, I got to pray A TON at the shrines! (To Jesus, of course! ♡ I wouldn't dream of praying to anyone else!) 

I have to admit.... There was only one wish I could think of when I was at the shrines. I kept praying for the same thing throughout the day.

A great experience and no regrets.

Like I said, I have only one month left in Japan. I have to make the most of it!! I can't dawdle around and wish for something exciting to happen--I have to MAKE it happen! I don't want to come home wishing that I had done this, or seen that, or talked to so-and-so....I just want to go for it! ♡ I want to say that I did exactly everything that I wanted to do while I was in Japan. I really don't want to come home with any regrets..... So I want to have great opportunities and great experiences during my final month in Japan!! ^_^ No more holding back! 

After sightseeing in Nikko, the twins were getting a bit tired so we decided to eat lunch and head out.... That is, until my host dad suggested we go to....

AN ONSEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (*≧▽≦)

For those of you that don't know, an onsen is a hot spring ^_^ Like, a very hot bath outdoors. So for 500 yen (about 5$), my host family took me to a delightful onsen :'D

And I must say....

I have never seen so many naked asians in my entire life. (ﾟДﾟ≡ﾟДﾟ)

I mean, I don't know why I was so surprised. I knew that at Japanese hot springs, you're basically bathing in a big open air bath with other members of the same sex. But....it was so awkward at first. But mostly because of all the stares I kept getting ^_^;;; Am I really /that/ different from Japanese girls? .........yes. Yes I am. A lot.

I was a little shy at first because all the women (young and old) kept looking me up and down like I was some kind of mutant but I quickly brushed it off once I got into the relaxing bath <3 The bath at this onsen was both outdoors and indoors. It got REALLY hot really quickly--especially in the summer time!! But it was soooooooo relaxing! It was like a giant bathtub! Or like...a giant heated pool! And they even had a jacuzzi! Ahhhhh it was PURE heaven!!   My skin felt so soft afterwards! It was almost like a spa!! 

After the onsen, we decided to head on back to Tokyo. It was about a 3 hour drive from Nikko so I ended up sleeping most of the way with Taiga resting his head on my shoulder, snoring like there was no tomorrow...<3 So cute!

I'm REALLLLLLLLLLLLLLY loving my host family!! If I was in a Persona game, I would say that my social link with them has reached Level 7!! Hahahaha! I feel like we're getting really close!! I love talking with them even if all I can do is basic Japanese! They make me feel much more confident in my speaking skills! Ha ha! I feel so blessed to have them....

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In any case, I better stop this blog right here for tonight! I'm SOOOOOOO exhausted from all the excitement from this weekend! With only one month left, I wonder what kinds of adventures still await me?? 
ﾎﾟｯ(*ﾟ.ﾟ)(ﾟ.ﾟ*)ﾎﾟｯ I guess I just have to find out!! Also, I'm sooooo sorry about being so lazy when it comes to uploading pictures.... I promise I'll get some up and decorate my blog more!! I'll also upload them all to Photobucket so I can share my memories with the world and not just my close friends on FB! <3 

Until next time.....<3  

♪Sky Treeeeeeeeee♪

So last night was REALLY exciting! I...actually went to the Sky Tree with a bunch of my friends! ^__^ WOW! It was just....WOW <3

First, we went to Asakusa to meet up with Brenna's friends (Kouji,Atsushi,Kenshou,and the other guy who's name I forgot...)! Asakusa is such a pretty place in the evening! Most of the shops had already closed down but we at least got to skim it <3 Then after that....SKY TREE!!!

Okay, so I'm PETRIFIED of heights. You couldn't pay me to get on a roller coaster or even a Ferris wheel! I'm DEATHLY afraid of heights! But when I saw the Sky Tree...in all its beauty...and glory :'D You know what? Forget being scared! I finally #YOLO'd! I mean...how often do I go to Japan?? Sometimes, I think it's good to put aside your fears and just go for it every now and then!

So I did <3

For those of you that don't know, the Sky Tree is one of the world's tallest buildings. It's.....REALLY high. I took a lot of amazing photos of it!! It really was one of the most beautiful buildings that I had ever seen!! ^_^

So Kenshou,Brenna,Sodany,Kouji, and I all decided we would pay the $20 fee and ride up to the top of the Sky Tree. I was a little nervous at first when we were in the elevator cause we went up so fast! But then once I got up there....

Wow. It was just WOW.

I could see ALL of Tokyo from the Sky Tree! And it was at night, too, so the view was breathtaking!! I was literally too stunned for words!! I took SOOO many pictures! Hahahaha!

You could see the Odaiba ferris wheel, the Tokyo Tower, and a bunch of other really cool towers and stuff! It was such a romantic atmosphere, too!! Too bad I wasn't on a date...

But overall, it was so fantastic!! I definitely want to go there again!!

After the Sky Tree trip and another visit to an Izakaya with everyone, I decided to make my way back home. I was sitting on the train, cranking up some Vocaloid, when reality kind of dawned on me.

I really do never want to leave Japan.

Yeah, I've got a lot of amazing friends and family back home waiting for me... But I finally feel like I really belong somewhere, ya know? Like, maybe I'm /meant/ to stay in Japan. Pssssh, if it wasn't for Disney and the ungodly cost of tuition, I would totally extend my KCP stay to a whole year!! But....this is only a small fraction of my Adventure of a Life Time. I still have about a month left in Japan and then I have four months of Disney to look forward to! Nothing ever lasts forever, right?

But after graduation, I want to come back here. I'm so much happier in Japan then I am in America.... Then again, I'm probably biased cause the only places I've ever known were Alabama and Miami :p And there really isn't much in Alabama. In fact, it's probably the most dull state, in my opinion!! But yeah... I really don't ever want to leave Japan.

I guess I have no choice but to do the Jet Program the second after I graduate! hahahahaha! But just you wait and see--once I get to Disney, I'm never gonna wanna leave there either! Ahhhh, life's full of tough choices, isn't it?

Well, we'll see where God puts me. But for now....I just want to enjoy every minute of Nihon <3

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This morning, I had a VERY important date with a VERY important person <3 Taiga and Ririka's school was having a culture festival this morning. Otou-san was Ririka's escort and since Okaa-san was working today, I needed to be Taiga's escort <3 So I was Taiga's date for the culture festival! Hahahaha! Of course, I spent half the time chasing after him cause he kept running off! But still! Ha ha!


Japanese kids are the absolute cutest <3 I kept getting weird stares from all of them cause I was the weird "Gaijin". I did have one parent of one of the kids come up and was like, "You're the Katou family's new student? AH! YOU'RE SO KAWAII!"

I kinda just stood there blankly and laughed sheepishly ^_^;;; I'm not exactly "kawaii"... I'm the awkward, fat American since everything above a size XS in considered fat in Japan! XD hahahahaha! No Kawaii? Yeeeeeeeeeah! Totally doesn't describe me these days!! But that same lady asked to take my picture....Maybe my confidence boosted just a little bit more <3

The day isn't over yet and I have an exciting evening to look forward to in Tsukiji :) I guess I better get going! Tomorrow is a pretty big day, too.... But first....I MUST GO YUKATA SHOPPING FOR THE FESTIVAL TOMORROW! (ﾟДﾟ≡ﾟДﾟ)

☆ﾐBirthday Magic☆ﾐ

I had been wondering if my trip to Japan could any better than it already was....
....and then it did (*≧▽≦)

7/11 was my 21st birthday!! And I have to say that it will be a birthday that I will remember the most! <3 Not only was I able to celebrate my 21st in Japan but I got to do it Disney-style!! 

My wonderful friends took me to the Alice and Wonderland cafe in Shinjuku! I had been wanting to go to this place since one of my Japanese friends had told me about it several months ago.  Needless to say, it was even better than expected <3


The entire cafe was decked out in Alice and Wonderland stuff! The walls were painted with scenes from the book and even the chairs were something you'd see out of Wonderland! Oh, and the menu was pop up book!!! Even the door that led into the cafe was very enchanting! ^___^ And the maids were cute little Alice-like maid dresses!! And the music...........


...........the music was pure Disney music XD 

It was the most beautiful thing I had EVER seen!! I felt like a princess being in there *0* Or maybe more like Alice...hee hee <3 I should have brought my Alice costume! hahahaha! 


The food and drinks were INCREDIBLE! I had a glow in the dark drink called the Trick of the Cheshire Cat (courtesy of Lee <3) that really glowed!! it had LED lights in the ice cubes! I also had a drink called Eternal Alice that was sooooo sweet and fruity!! 

The food was the best part though! I had a pizza in the shape of the Cheshire cat XD Some other people got omelets in the shape of the Cheshire Cat!! It was SOOOOOOOOOOOOO cool!!! I'll be sure to upload A LOT of photos once I get a chance to! 

I also was treated to the most wonderful surprise ever! Apparently my friends had told the waiter that it was my birthday so they brought out a cake and they sung happy birthday to me!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I wanted to cry from happiness (But I didn't cause I'm a big girl now!)!!! It was SOOOO beautiful! The cake was decorated so lovely! It even had a little icing candy in the shape of Alice herself! And a little sponge cake in the shape of the caterpillar! 

My friends wouldn't let me pay for my food even though I had prepared to splurge on myself to enjoy the delightful cafe <3 I must say, even though I've only known these guys for a few weeks, I can't believer how incredibly lucky I am to have met everyone! They really are the kindest things ever! I felt so bad they all paid for me... (I even threatened to shove money down Sodany's britches at some point but no one would take it!) If it wasn't for them, there's no way my birthday would have been that special. I'll never forget that evening at the cafe for the rest of my life! It was definitely something out of a fairy tail!! 


I spent the rest of the evening hanging out with my friends at the Izakaya and the arcade. YAY TAIKO! Overall, the night was probably the best night I had had in Japan so far!! I'm SOOOOO lucky to have met such incredible people!!! 

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The more I think about it, the more I never want to leave Japan.... I'm getting the adventure I've been wanting for for like...ever. Things just keep getting better and better. I'm getting kind of sad thinking about it but I only have a little over a month left.... Ugh, why can't time just completely stop? There's still so much I want to do! I feel like I won't be able to do it all in just one month! It makes me so sad.... Why didn't I sign up to stay for a whole year or something? ha ha! 


But after Japan is over, I'll still have one more big adventure left. I can't even fathom all the exciting things Disney World will bring me!! But still....I love Japan so much. I guess it's pretty much decided that I'm coming back here RIGHT after college <3 Hopefully do the JET program or something!! Now that I'm finally here, I just can't see myself going back..... then again, I've only been here for a few weeks. ^_^;;; But yeah...these moments won't last forever so I HAVE to make the most of it! I can't take a single thing for granted!!! (except for maybe the earthquakes....)


I've been alive for 21 years. I'm officially an adult! I can officially drink coffee, drive a mini-van, play golf on Sundays, watch the Weather Channel, talk about grand kids, wear nude panty hose, play Bingo, and make strange groaning noises whenever I get out of bed. Hahahahaha!! Yep! I'm OFFICIALLY an adult!!


Too bad I just can never seem to act like one! I still have the mentality of a 12 year old! ha ha!


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In any case....I better go before I start making myself depressed at the thought of leaving Japan and the new friends I've made! UGH WHY DOES EVERYONE (but Brenna) HAVE TO LIVE SO DARN FAR AWAY!?!?!? Why can't we all just live in Alabama? XD hahahahaha! 


Well....I've got a little more than a month left to go. Let's just see how my new adventure unfolds.... Things might be getting a little crazy in the near future so we'll see how it all goes! <3


Just remember:: What happens in Japan, stays in Japan! ☆ （＾＿－） and in my heart! <3

~*Day 14 of Japan*~

Okay....so I'm REALLY bad about writing in my blog D: I've just been so crazy busy lately!! Things should start slowing down now that I don't have anymore 9 hour school days! hahahahaha!

I got to see my good friend Ko at Akihabara last weekend! ( ﾟ▽ﾟ) For those of you who don't know, Akihabara is the nerd hot-spot. It's got anime stores galore, cosplay stores, arcades, maid cafes, etc etc. I was so happy I was able to go!! Ko and I had such a blast together!! I was the happiest person alive cause I was able to play the Persona 4 fighting game at an arcade! It was GREAT! 

On the downside, a lot of the stores were stocked up on animes I had never heard before or never saw. I was under the impression that you could find ANY kind of anime merchandise there. I didn't see a single Fairy Tail thing or NANA or even any Bleach, really! But luckily, they were full of Persona 4 and Madoka stuff! I stocked up on some cute little merchandise <3 I was really bummed that there wasn't any Persona 3 stuff.... However, I did manage to get my hands on a lovely Persona 3 artbook ^_~ Made it all worthwhile! 


A few days after my trip to Akihabara, I went on a tour to Harajuku with my school! For those of you who know me very well, I'm the BIGGEST nerd of all time. I love anime and cosplay (a little too much at times!) but I have to say that I enjoyed Harajuku more than Akihabara! And not just for the crepes, either! I'm really in love with Japanese fashion so it was amazing since one of the most fashionable cities in the world!


But I won't lie. I mostly love Harajuku for the Body Line store. A lot of people may hate on Body Line's merchandise but I don't care. It is by far my FAVORITE store EVER!!!! Everything was soooooooooo reasonably priced!! I got a very high quality wig for only $30 and a maid costume for only $25!!! So...happy early birthday from me to me! 

But anyways.....Enough about me and my cosplay-spasms. Either way, Harajuku was a great place! I also got to know some more people better!! It was raining all day when we went to Harajuku so I shared an umbrella with my new friend Lee. It was a lot of fun getting to know him better!! I'm also really enjoying spending time with people like Kitty, Brenna, Sodany, and a bunch of other people that would take forever if I listed them all. I'm meeting such wonderful people!! It'd be really great if I could get to know them even better!!


Some other cool things I've done in school involved a tea ceremony and a calligraphy session. The tea ceremony was so beautiful to watch but you had to sit in a weird position so my butt literally killed me....and my legs were like jell-o. I don't see how Japanese women can do it so perfectly all the time! The calligraphy was cool, too! I got to write "Hana" in Kanji which means flower :) Hana is also how you say my name is Japanese so it's very fitting that I did that kanji in calligraphy! Hahahahaha! 


I also went to visit a Japanese college as a school excursion <3 I would have enjoyed it more but they assigned five of us in a group to speak with one Japanese college student and have them give us a tour. I actually didn't have that much fun since all the people in my group kept dominating the conversation and really wouldn't even give me a chance to talk to the girl we were assigned, too....So I kinda just sat there quietly and asked maybe one or two questions occasionally. 


After the visit to Aoyami University, a big group of us went to Akihabara (my second time! YAY!) to go play around at. It was sooooooo much fun! I mostly clung to Sodany and had girl time! I mean....As much as I love anime, it isn't the only thing in Japan I care about (unlike 80% of the students at KCP =_=) I really did just enjoy walking and talking with Sodany, Lee, and Brandon and just enjoyed the atmosphere. Anime is great and all, but I had more fun at Purikura then I did shopping in giant stores filled with series that are unfamiliar to me.... I'm actually thinking of going to Akihabara by myself one day and looking around it at my own pace. Sometimes it gets a little overwhelming so it might be best if I take everything in slowly ^_^ Maybe then I might can dig up some Fairy Tail stuff....<3

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I did karaoke for the first time the other night. Okay..........Karaoke is just plain AWESOME. Words can't describe how much I love karaoke and how I could spend hours in there. (and not just the nomihodai, either!) They have EVERY japanese song imaginable on there! They even have Vocaloid songs and anime songs!! I totally tore up some Bleach music and even the opening song to Teen Titans with Kitty XD Karaoke is such a reasonable price, too!! About 4$ just go in and sing for 2 hours! It's more expensive if you want beverages or food though... I'm definitely coming back to Karaoke again!! It...might be something I do on a very usual basis. hahahahaha!


Let's see....what else is going on? Oh yeah, my lucky-duck friend named Marc won two Yoko figurines and a One Piece figurine at an arcade XD Soooo much jelly!! Those arcade games look SOOOO impossible to do with Marc was able to win three things!! Maybe I should give him money and beg him to win me a lovely Yoko figure....hmmmmm <3

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Japan is REALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLY great!! I have a feeling I won't get to see and do all the stuff I want to due to lack of money. I need to be very cautious with my spending.... Japan is very expensive and all those 100 yen things really add up :/ (100 yen is equivalent to one dollar about...) Not to mention the commuting prices.... I'll be going to Tokyo Disney Land in a few weeks ^_^ I'm most excited about that!!! Too bad I can't go on my birthday...


I heard there is an Alice in Wonderland cafe in Shinjuku :) I might hit that up for my birthday!! I'd love it if some of my friends joined me...<3 


Also, my host family insisted I drink sake with them last night. To them, drinking is a fun, casual activity that is meant to be enjoyed with friends and family. When I tried to explain to my host dad that my real dad was an alcoholic, his response was "Oh? He drank a lot! He must have been a VERY happy man!" I couldn't help but die of laughter at that! XD I mean...er...it wasn't /funny/ since my dad's alcoholism used to be a huge issue but I have to admit, I cracked up. I love Japanese people so much <3


My host father kept trying to talk to me in English when he was drunk. It was one of the funniest things I have ever heard... He kept saying that he thinks of me as a daughter and he loves how sweet I am with the kids (＾∇＾) He also kept telling me that I needed to enjoy my time in Japan because if I'm happy, he's happy. He's such a sweet dad-away-from-home!! Even though he was clearly drunk, I feel like I understand him better since normally he's so shy. Then again he also talked for an hour about how much he loves sushi....Hmmm....Maybe I'm overthinking things.


AH! SUCH A LONG BLOG POST!


I went shopping with my Okaa-san today at Ikebukuo! (＾∇＾) I got to witness Morning Musume perform live at the mall! It was so great!! They're wayyyyyyyyy too cute! <3 


I gotta admit though....Clothes shopping wasn't the greatest of ideas. I saw SOOOOOOOOOOOO many cute, reasonably priced stuff! I tried on SOOOO many things! But....nothing fit me ;___; I have never felt so fat and ugly in my life. I keep trying to tell myself that Japanese women are so tiny and petite but it's hard not to feel insecure, ya know? I'm constantly surrounded by beautiful, flawless women with a great sense of fashion. And then there's just me--the awkward American. Nobody really wears just casual t-shirts and jeans but even when I dress up and wear skirts and dresses, I still don't feel confident in myself.... I normally don't suffer from insecurity this badly but I've been feeling UBER insecure lately ^_^;;; I'm hoping it will pass..... Since I couldn't find any cute clothes to fit me, I just went with a cute, 8$ necklace <3 Once again, happy birthday, Hannah! 


Well, for all of you who are still reading this, thanks for your time!! If nobody is, then at least I can read this later and reflect on my experiences in Japan <3 I don't want to make this blog too personal because I really don't like bad-mouthing people on the internet and I don't like letting people know my exact thoughts on things like that..... I must admit, a lot of people from KCP are wearing me. There may be a lot of cool people, but there are also a lot of stuck up jerks who are better at Japanese than me and who looooooooooove pointing out that they are much more skilled than I. I know I'm bad....I don't need it being pointed out....


Well, I guess I'm done drabbling on my blog <3 Even if just one person reads it, that's all I want <3 


I can't wait to see what other adventures await me....It's only been two weeks and I've already seen and done so much! Maybe tomorrow I will go do karaoke again or go look for a yukata....hmmmm <3