V-rock Festival

This has been one of the most exciting weekends yet! This weekend I went to the V-rock festival in Makuhari Messe. Over 50 different visual-kei artists performed, including the GazettE, Marilyn Manson (don't really like him though, so I went home before his concert, as he was the last artist to perform on staurday, I didn't miss anything else), Kagrra, SuG, Plastic tree, LM.C etc. It will take too much space to list them all =P
So I went to this festival, being absolutely clueless as I had not listened any of them before. i just followed my friends to whatever concert they decided to go to. They had four stages (it was inside), two stages in each room, and they held two concerts simultaneously all the time (not in the same room of course =P), except for Marilyn Manson and the GazettE. Probably because they are so big artists, so the other bands wouldn't be able to compete =O. In the end, there were too many good bands =O Especially on Sunday, I will go bankrupt if I try to buy all their CDs, hahaha. Well, as I said, Sunday was the best day, and I think so because I had probably gotten into the mood by then, and realized what was actually happening. When you stand there and listen, it feels like you are not really seeing the REAL artisits, it's just people who happen to look the same, sound the same, act the same etc.
I also think that it was better on Sunday, because by then I knew the way better, and thus I was able to listen to the first band of the day. On Saturday, me and Marion (we met at the school at 8 o'clock, and then we went up together) arrived at 12 o'clock, and the concerts started at 10! Well, it took such a long time because we got off at Makuhari, and then we had to walk for an hour in order to get to Makuhari Messe. And when we got there, we realized that there was a station there called Kaihimmakuhari, which was right in the middle of Makuhari Messe =P. See now why the Sunday was better? No stress, no wandering around, just arriving quickly with your energy intact. Which was needed as there was a lot of jumping around to do when getting in there, haha.
One thing that struck me as different is that the audience here does not normally applaud after a concert. Instead, they wave their arms in the air, and the faster they wave, the more excited thay are. Even the concerts here are calmer! And a funny thing is when the artists stand on stage in their make-up, cool hairdos, looking fierce and grownup, and then jumping around, clapping their hands and asking the audience to do the same. Haha, really a contrast I must say =P. And some of the artists were REALLY energetic! They jumped around all the time, ran around on stage... Who needs a gym membership when you can just hold a concert? =P
There was also a sad moment when Versailles performed. Their bass-player died just a couple of months ago, and they had brought his bass with them, and after the concert, they held the bass between them and then bowed. It was a really beautiful and sad gesture. Also, the stage was filled with red roses. Really sad =(. One of my friends started crying =(
And a funny moment too! They held a fashionshow both days (they showed the same clothes), but the fashionshow on the first day was better, because then more artists were a part of it. Some of the performing artists starred in the fashionshow! Really nice! And the clothes were awesome! Really cool! i will have to buy, if not a new wardrobe, then at least a new outfit =)
I must also mention that this festival was the first time that I felt the scent of sweat. It is really unusual here in Japan, but when we went to one of the last concerts on Saturday, it was like a wall hit us when we entered the room. A warm, humid, sweaty wall =O Well, they might know how to prevent smelling like sweat normally, but they are still human. You can't hold a concert without dancing and sweating! ;)
Conclusion? V-rock festival... Definitely worth going to =)

Experiences

I thought I would write down some miscellaneous thoughts and experiences. I don't have to do something AMAZING in order to write about it, right? So I will write about some everyday things and experiences.
Anyway, yesterday I tried sushi here in Japan for the first time. It was really DELICIOUS! Especially the lightly braised one with mayonnaise, and I don't even like mayo! =O That must tell you how good it was! And speaking of mayonnaise, I have noticed that I have no problems eating things with mayo here in Japan. Maybe it is a bit different here. Not as heavy as European mayo. Seiko-san says that she likes European mayo more, haha. Maybe we should switch countries? ;) Naw, just kidding.
A couple of days ago I went to a department store called Parco with Seiko-san and Melissa. Melissa is another girl who has come to stay here with Seiko-san. She is really nice! I really like her! Maybe it is something about Italy... Anyway, me, Seiko-san and my new room-mate (^^) went to Parco, and there we found a little counter where they sold foreign cheese. The funny thing is that I found some Arla Fetaost from Denmark! I was really surprised when I saw it. I was like "Eh?! Arla!?!?!?!??! I recognize this!!!" Really funny ^^ They also had a lot of funny things for the kitchen and the house. Maybe I should bring Basma here? I will show you this store later when you come here! Maybe you will find something nice for your apartment ^^ Oh, and they had a little store that only sold ohashi! (Chopsticks) I will definitely have to buy a pair and bring them with me to Sweden! They were a little expensive, but I think they are worth their price as a cheap pair of chopsticks will probably break or splinter easily. Not good!
I have now decided to reduce my homestay to one month again. This is what I had originally planned, but then I changed it to three months, but now I really feel that I want to live on my own, so I've decided to change it back. Seiko-san is really nice, and she has helped me a lot! But it is time to move on... Haha ;) No, but it will be nice to be independent I think ^^ Plus this decision will allow me to save a lot of money. Living with a host family is almost twice as expensive as a student dormitory, but then breakfast and dinner is included. However, I believe it will still be cheaper to live on my own. Plus I will be able to eat whatever I want, WHENever I want, and I can come home whenever i want too, without having to update someone about my whereabouts all the time. Freedom! Gimme! Hahaha =P
By the way, Basma and David! Kan ni ta med er lite räkost och lösgodis när ni kommer hit? Seiko-san sa att hon skulle vilja ha det när jag frågade om hon ville ha nåt från Sverige. Skulle vara en väldigt bra present tycker jag ^^ Den här gången VET jag faktiskt vad hon vill ha! Haha. Och kanske lite vaniljfudge till mig ;)
The longer I stay here, the more I realize what a "candy-pig" (hahahahha) I am. Pastries are delicious here! Mmm, yummy...
Nöff nöff ;P

Except for this little dog I found at the parade =P Haha


The parade! After this, my battery died, so no more pictures! =(


...with Koi-fish!


A garden...


A nice, smaller temple


A fountain we found =)


Costumes!


The beautiful bridge in beautiful Nikko =)


Tobu-nikko!


And from a different angle


The building!


Nikko

Today I visited the beautiful city Nikko with Rebecca. We met up in Omiya, which is only ten minutes away from Urawa, and afterwards we took the Tobu-line (a cheaper private-owned line) to Nikko. On the way to Nikko, we had to change trains, and one time we changed trains when in fact we should have stayed on the train we were on. The result? We had to wait on the next train for ONE hour! So we were just stuck in the middle of nowhere, in a city as lively as a graveyard, and everything was closed! It was about nine o'clock in the morning by then, so me and Rebecca just walked up and down a couple of streets before we headed back towards the station. I did find one building that I liked, I am posting pictures of it, so it wasn't a complete waste of time! ;) I think it was a university of technology or something =O Still, love the architecture!
So in the end we made it to Nikko! Or Tobu-nikko actually, from where you have to take a bus in order to reach Nikko. Before taking the bus, me and Rebecca walked around in the souvenir-shops, because A: They were interesting, and B: We waited for Stephanie, another amazing friend of mine! ;) So we saw many chopsticks, dolls, and monkeys in the stores. Now you might think, what? Monkeys? Well, apparently Nikko is famous for the three wise monkeys. You know the ones where one monkey covers the ears, another the eyes, and the third the mouth. I actually, didn't know that these monkeys came from Japan, let alone Nikko, so I was pleasantly surprised! I never did buy a souvenir though...
Anyway, when we went back to the bus stop next to the station, we saw Stephaine waiting in the line. I am so happy we noticed her! If not, she would have left, and we would never have known! This is because I can't receive the messages she sends me with her phone. She, however, can receive mine. Really weird...
Well, anyway, she was a part of a tour, so she had a guide and paid tickets and everything. Me and Rebecca just followed, haha. Well, the guides didn't seem to mind, in fact, they really helped us when we had to go home. They told us which trains to take in order to arrive to the stations where we had to switch trains, in this case, which train went from Tobu-nikko to Kasukabe =)
When we arrived to Nikko, we went to a temple, and there we found a lot of people in costumes. It was a festival! We took pictures with a lot of different people in different costumes, and it was really fun! Too bad my batteries died =( Well, I am getting the pictures from Rebecca and Stephanie, so I will post them eventually! =D
Then we saw the festival! Well... It was a bit of a let down, because it was more of a parade than a festival. The participants were dressed in different costumes, and then they just marched. No dance or music. Just march. Well, at least we got some pictures with them, and at least we saw Nikko, a very beautiful town! And we only went to one of many temples, so maybe I will come back one day, visit them, and get that souvenir that I never bought =)

This is my "surrogate-mother". It almost felt as if she were an aunt ;)


Cecilia with SEIKO-SAN!!! This is Seiko-san! Now you can all finally see her! Cecilia is an Italian girl. Very funny and bubbly personality. I hope I will see her this Sunday too! =)


Yay! I'm in one of the pictures! This is one of Seiko-san's friends! Really nice person =)


Italian cooking

This Monday I went with Seiko-san to Urawa community center where we cooked red lettuce risotto with her friends. Before we went, Seiko-san asked me to hold a 10-minute speech on Sweden at the center, so I had to think about what to say =O I was surprised, I thought we were only going to cook! And then she also asked me to write down some questions about Sweden that her friends had to answer =O Becuase of this sudden assignment she had handed me, I didn't really look forward to going anymore =/ It was just to sudden I think. However, in the end, we didn't have enough time for me to hold the speech =D I only showed them some pictures of Eksjö, and then I asked them the questions, and by the time we did this (it was at the end), I had alreday met some wonderful people, so I wasn't in a bad mood anymore =) It was fun to see how much they knew about Sweden! =)
One of the women I met was very good at English, and she was so sweet, translating what they said and teaching me new words =) She was like a mother ;) (and the same age as mame too, she said that her age was a secret, and then I told her how old my mom is, which resulted in her laughing, because they are the same age).
When the food was done, I had become hungry, so it was done right on time! And it was DELICIOUS!!! Italy has more to offer than just pizza and spaghetti! Risotto! And now on Sunday, we are going to cook polenta. Probably delicious too. Mmm....
I will ask Seiko-san for pictures of the food so that I can show you later. I didn't take any, because she did, so I thought it was unneccesary =)
And now... PICTURES!!!! =D

The little store! =)


The cakes! They only had three types, but they sold food as well (900-1000 yen)


The interior


The cake!


Watashi no Shibuya

Today, I was supposed to meet up at Shibuya with some new friends from school =) We decided to meet at an icecream bar called Sweden in Shibuya. I have never been here before, but I thought that I could just ask someone for directions once I reached Shibuya. Well, things didn't turn out that well. First of all, Seiko-san had borrowed my train ticket again, so we decided to meet at Takadanobaba at 14.40, which was okay, because Shibuya is only 10 minutes away. However, I had to eat lunch before leaving, and me and Gabriel prepared it too late, so when I waited for the rice to finish, time just flew by. So we sent a message to Seiko-san and asked her how long it would take for the rice to finish. Apparently, it needed 40 minutes; time that I didn't have. So I just ate my miso soup and my tempura without the rice, and then I rushed off to the station at 14.30. I notified Seiko-san about my tardiness, but she said that it was okay. On the way to the station, an officer who directs the cars in the street said that I was beautiful and that I had a nice body. I didn't really know how to respond, so I just said "Thank you", and then this woman that the man knew came up to him, and he told her "Isn't she pretty" and the woman just "Ah, cute! Yeah, really nice!" I just said "Thank you" again, maybe I even blushed a little(?), and then I continued to the station. I arrived at Takadanobaba at about 15.10, and it was already 15.20 when I arrived at Shibuya. I hoped that I would find the icecream bar quickly so that they didn't have to wait for me for too long. The worst part is that none of the other girls have a cell phone, so I had to try to find the place by myself, without being able to tell them that I would be late. So I started asking people, but no one knew of the place! I kept walking and asking, but no one could help me. In the end, I found a post office, and I thought that "Maybe they will know?" They didnt, but one guy who worked there was kind enough to surf the internet using his phone, an by doing so, he found the adress! This really helped a lot, because an adress is easier to find than a little-known icecream shop. The guy then pointed me in the direction of a koban (a little policebooth where they usually help you finding places). I really want to thank this guy, whose name I do not know, you really helped me a lot! I will definitely come by the post office again and buy something! ^^
The policemen at the koban then told me the directions, and then I finally found Sweden! I was so happy and relieved! Only problem is that it was 17.00 by then =O The girls had already left, and who can blame them? I remember being annoyed in the beginning, when things looked grim and no one recognized the place. I just thought to myself "Why couldn't we meet up at the station instead? Now I have to search around entire Shibuya for a small, unknown place, and I don't really have a good sense of direction to begin with! Now you suddenly want me to perform a miracle?!" But I was so happy when I found it. I actually succeeded! When I saw that the girls weren't there, I decided to take an icecream now that I had finally found the damned place, and just relax and let the stress disappear. I ordered a mango-parfait, and it was delicious! Especially the bottom, where they had a spongy-like cake. Yum! When I sat there and ate, I was thinking, and I decided to walk around Shibuya on my own. So what if I didn't find them? That doesn't mean I have to go home and mope! So I left, and the first thing  I saw was Tower Records. So I entered. I bought my first thing here, an Asian Kung Fu Generation CD! It was a really nice store with maybe 4 floors. HUGE! After this, I went to a place called Tokyu Hands where I bought a pen, an eraser and a note book for school. However, this is not all Tokyu Hands has to offer! They have lamps, furniture, "hobbyequipment" and more. A good store to know =) I kept walking around, going down different streets that struck me as interesting, and voila! A vegan café! I decided to go in, taste one of their cakes and then take pictures! So, Basma and David, it was quite small, but very homey and cosy. They also sold vegan goods, such as soap, mayonnaise etc. However, I wouldn't call it a big store with a big supply of goods! Just a little, so don't expect too much! I then ordered a tofu.chocolate almond cake. It was quite good! Helt OK ;) See the pictures! I then asked for the adress, so that I could find it again if needed, and then I took a few pictures, and then I left.
After a while, I found a store called Book Off. Actually, it was like two stores in one building where the basement floor was a store called Bingo where they sold second-hand clothes (It was really big! They also had a lot of hats, bags, glasses etc.), and the other floors were Book Off. They also sold dvds, not only books, and I looked at the floors, one by one. When I came to the top floor... COMICS!!!!!! =O I looked around, and there were comics everywhere! And most of them were sold for 105 yen each =O 105 yen! It's barely 10 SEK! I bought eight books, and I found some famous titles among these cheap books, such as Bleach, Kyo, Eyeshield 21 etc. A VERY nice store! It was like going to heaven, ah~ ;)
Anyway, I went home after this, feeling quite satisfied as I had finally bought something here in Japan! =D On one of the trains home, I met an older man, and we started talking a bit. You know, having a little converstation, very nice =) He told me I was beautiful and very charming =O Did I wear something special today? I don't get it! Complimented twice on the same day! Of course I was happy and flattered =) Too bad they were both quite old ;) Hahahahahhaa. Let me point out that they weren't creepy! They didn't make me feel uncomfortable or anything! They just gave me compliments, it's not like they tried to take me somewhere or anything, so don't worry! ^^
In the end, I had a very nice time on my own! Watashi no Shibuya dessu! And let me say I walked around ENTIRE Shibuya! Or at least that is what it felt like... ;)

Roppongi

This Friday, the same 10 people that were in the Thai restaurant pictures went to Roppongi. We, or rather they, wanted to find a club and dance and drink. But first we had to eat dinner! We were already starving back in Takadanobaba, where we had to wait maybe 30-40 minutes before we could leave, because Marion had problems with her credit-card. We were trying to find an ATM where she could withdraw some money with her card. We never did find anyone, so she had to withdraw money using the emergency card provided by her mother. After this, we finally went to Roppongi..
When we came to Roppongi, the winds were so nice! The weather was perfect! We looked around, trying to find a nice, cheap, restaurant, and we saw a lot of big tall buildings. It was more difficult than we had thought to find a good restaurant. Maybe the group was just too big, and I think it felt as if they just passed good restaurants. When you are hungry and you know that most restaurants are expensive in this area, you don't have the luxury to be picky! We passed a good Chinese restaurant quite early, but they didn't want to go in there because they wanted to taste Japanese food. No more Chinese food! We have only eaten Chinese food so far! We want to taste Japanese cuisine! So we kept searching. And searching. In the end, I was so hungry that I almost became very angry and I was already annoyed, and I couldn't think clearly. I just wanted to hit the people who had objections towards the restaurants we passed. Argh! If you are this hungry, and I know everyone was, ANYWHERE is fine!!!!
In the end we did find a restaurant, and it was very nice and cosy. You had to take off your shoes when entering ^^ However, we soon discovered that this restaurant was very exclusive, and it was probably the most expensive one out of the bunch of restaurants we had looked at. IRONY!! Haha. One enitre meal, with starters, main and dessert, cost 5000 yen (=O). And if you bought a meal by itself, it was VERY small! For example, one dish with 2 pieces of scallop cost 800 yen (=O). Still, they had been so kind to lead us to a table and bring napkins to clean our hands with that we decided to get one drink each and then find another restaurant where we would actually eat. I tried the Oolong tea (630 yen), which was just like unsweetened tea. Not really a favourite, but I had to try it, haha.
After we left the restaurant, we went to a convenience store where I bought an onigiri, becuase I was too hungry to go through this whole ordeal again with an empty stomach. So now I had a threequarter empty stomach instead =P Well, I did get some energy.
We didn't have to go very far before we found a cheap ramen-store (each bowl of ramen cost 500 yen, that is a TENTH of the price at the former restaurant!) Apparently, we had stopped at the expensive restaurant just before we reached this street, which was full with good, economic restaurants. If we had only had a little more patience!
After we eat, we met up with a few other people (they came later than us, and they decided to have mos-burgers), and after they had eaten we went to a place called Gaspanic where they got drinks, and we sat and listened to the music. It was more of a bar than a club, so there was no dancefloor or anything. When we entered, we all got coupons that gave us drinks for 500 yen. Since I didn't have a drink, I used my coupon to buy a Cosmopolitan for Rebecca. She saved 300 yen! =D
After all this, they decided to try and find a CLUB where they could DANCE! Since I didn't want to pull an all-nighter again, and since I had forgotten my keys and didn't want to wake up Seiko-san, I took my leave at the first subway I could find. The clock was about half past eleven at this time. I went to Yoyogi station where I then could go to Ikebukuro, and from there I went to Akabane, and finally in Akabane, I took the blue line (I usually take the orange line, but it closes at about 22.50) to Urawa. I must mention that the trains were REALLY packed! At the first train, I seriously thought that I wouldn't be able to get on the train, because it was so full. Somehow, I manged to get on. At the other trains, I was literally squished in the middle '^_^, not very funny! I was so happy when I got home! Thank god the trains have good AC! Otherwise, I would have died on the way =P
Seiko-san was up when I got home, which was at about midnight. A person from Italy who had previously lived with her, Gabriel, had come this day to visit before going to his friend where he will live whilst doing an internship at a company. He had gone out as soon as he arrived to Seiko-san, and he came home at approximately the same time as me. It was nice to meet him! But I was so tired by then that I didn't really feel like talking =O We all soon went to bed, and we exchanged numbers. Good to have sometimes! A funny thing is that Gabriel had the melodys that they play in the trains when you reach a certain station. Apparently, each station has a different melody, and when he got a text message, the phone played one of these melodies, and I was just "Eeeh? I recognize this melody! Where did you get that?!" Haha, I was really surprised, and it was a funny melody to have on your phone I think. He must really love Tokyo! =D

We were 10 people ^^


Wednesday (before the typhoon) at a Thai restaurant in Takadanobaba


Typhoon

Today I didn't sleep very well, because I kept hearing the wind all the time. When I woke up, I saw Seiko-san sitting in the living room looking at the news. Apparently, there is a typhoon in Japan right now, and the wind is so strong that it has blown away cars and trucks as if they were toys =O One person even died due to a falling tree =O Because of this typhoon, most train-lines have been closed down, and it is difficult to go anywhere. Because of this, I didn't have any school today, because most students were unable to go to school. I too would not have been able to go, because some of the lines I use to get to school were closed down. Now, at 14.00, some trains have started to run again, but only about half of the train lines are back in use. However, at 10.00, the wind was so strong that I was afraid that the clothes we have hung to dry outside would fly away with the wind. But they didn't =) Now the weather is nice again, and it is possible to go out. However, I think that i would be tiring and complicated to use the trains now, so if I want to go out, I will stay here in Urawa =) Actually, some people had to walk home because the trains were cancelled. Poor people! We'll see if I can go to school tomorrow...

School!

Today was the first day of school! I started at 13.00 today, but I woke up at 09.00 becuase I had to hang my pants to dry. I only had room to bring one pair of pants, and they were so disgusting, so I had to wash them! After this, I ate breakfast, and then I helped Seiko-san clean the apartment. I vaccumed the floors and cleaned all the windows, and in the end I had to take a shower =O Cleaning really does count as exercise!
After the shower, I had to get dressed and go to the station. Don't wanna be late on your first day of school! However, the pants were still a little wet, so I had to iron them a bit before leaving. In the end, they were a little wet, but it didn't feel too uncomfortable ;)
In school we had four lessons, each lesson being 50 minutes long. We went through the basics today, such as "My name is", "I am Swedish", "My hobbies are" etc. It was really fun, especially the last lesson, because then we had to go around and introduce ourselves to the other students (we were in pairs and we were supposed to try and have a conversation in Japanese for one minute), and after this, we tried to had a conversation in a group of 4-5 people. This was the most fun as we joked and laughed a lot! I like my class =)
After school, I, Rebecca, Marion, Robin and some other students from our wanted to go eat together in order to get to know each other, but I couldn't go with them =( I had to lend my train-ticket to Seiko-san so that she could go to the opera, and the ticket she had bought to come to the school did not allow her to go through the gates of the station. Basically, I had to go in and then take the train home. It was really unfortunate, but I think it was due to misunderstandings. Seiko-san felt bad and kept apologizing, but it wasn't her fault. We both thought that school would finish at 16.15, and she said that she would come to Takadanobaba-station (the station closest to the school) at 17.30, so I thought that I would have the time to eat, but we finished at 16.50, so it was not possible.
Oh well, tomorrow we might go and eat sushi together! ;) In the end, I ate home alone, but the food was really good, so it was ok! ^^

Naaw!!!


This picture doesn't really need a comment...


The man on the left is the owner of this shop. When he saw that I wanted to take a picture, he went away to the side! How nice! ^^


Yeah baby! ;P


If you put the bar code of a CD under the scanner, you will automatically be able to listen to the songs on that CD. Cool huh?


Cell phones

I just have to put up a post on cell phones here in Japan. Apparently, it is very difficult to obtain one! You have to have a Japanese bank account, which means that you need a student visa because you can't open a bank account on a tourist visa. Seiko-san also said that you have to be careful with your cell phone as it is personal, and it seemed like you can't sell your cell phone because it will be in your name =O
Furthermore, you have to be at least 20 years old to buy a cell phone. It is crazy! Why is it so difficult to buy a phone over here? And with an age limit of 20? What can you do with a cell phone that is so dangerous? I actually have to let Seiko-san buy a cell phone for me in her name, she has to sign papers and become some sort of "guardian" for me. She offered herself to buy one for me, and I really appreciate how she tries to help me. I really am lucky to have her as my host =) She also offered herself to help me buy tickets to China and South Korea, because she knows a place where you can get cheap tickets =) Seiko-san wa subarashi dessu!!! =D

Shibuya

The day before yesterday I went to Shibuya with my friends, and I got back home at seven in the morning =O The reason for this is because we decided to go to a club to meet some new Japanese friends. These Japanese friends were actually hairdressers who cut Robin's and Marion's hair. They suggested we go to a club called "Womb" and they said that htey would also come the same night. So we went there, and danced, and I nearly suffocated from passive smoking =P I don't think I'll go to club again, it's not my thing. PS. If you know me, you should know I only drank water (500 yen a bottle water :P).
First, me and Rebecca only wanted to stay an hour or two, and then come home with the last trains. However, as the entrance fee was so high, we decided to stay until 5 am and then take the first trains home again. Otherwise the money would be wasted! Anyway, we danced and had fun all night, but once is enough for me ;) I did find a Japanese girl and her Australian boyfriend, and we exchanged e-mails. One of my first Japanese friends! Yay!
In the end we never found the hairdressers, haha
Another thing is that we decided to eat sushi for lunch, however, we couldn't find any sushi-bar, and in the end we were so hungry that we just decided to eat at the first restaurant we could find. The food was very good, so it was ok, even if we didn't have sushi. The funny part is that we found a sushi-bar as soon as we left the restaurant :P Isn't that typical? And later, when we wanted to eat dinner before going to the club, the sushi-bar was full, so we couildn't eat sushi then either. Gaaaahhhh!!!! :P We had Chinese instead...
We also went to Shibuya 109 which is a big shopping mall. We found a lot of clothes and other funny things, but we all agreed that Harajuku was nicer. The nicest thing in Shibuya was the hairdressers that worked on the top floor at the mall =)
After Shibuya, I have only stayed at home and slept. I am trying to gather some energy for school which starts tomorrow. Wish me luck! ;)

Some people are actually crazier than me...


Sitting at the coffee shop


My Godiva!!! Mmmm...


Who recognizes these guys???? =)


Would you like a sushi stick? Both these and the phones are from Kiddy Land


Swedish cell phone designs can't possible compare!


Metropolis doesn't mean no nature exists


The gang! From left to right: Rebecca, Robin, Marion =D


Hahaha, why????


Oooh, scary! =P A little cute though


Shozah!


Some clothes... Didn't take any pictures inside Laforet though, these are out on the street


This food is plastic! Looks real, doesn't it? =)


Harajuku

Today I went to Harajuku after the school orientation. I went with Robin, Marion and Rebecca, all of which I met at the school. We went around and found some funny stores such as "Kiddy Land" and "Laforet". Kiddy Land had a lot of funny toys, and interesting pens! The store consisted of, I think, 5 floors. The stores here are much bigger than in Sweden! Funnier too ;)
Laforet is like a mall with many different shops, and they all sell clothes and accessories. IT WAS SO COOL! The style is very different compare to Sweden, and the shops had clothes from many different "genres" so to say. They had gothic lolita dresses, punk, babydoll, barbie (a shop was named Barbie) etc. Really easy to spend too much money here! After all, they have a lot of great things, and everything is from a brand, so it is a bit expensive, but not too much. I think the prices resembled the ones in Sweden (when you buy brand names).
We also went to a little coffee shop that sold beverages made from Godiva chocolate. Really YUMMY! I bought one with white chocolate and raspberry =) I think the cream they used was soymilk, it had a different taste from regular cream. Plus they are lactoe intolerant, so I think it is very likely =)
I actually managed to get to school and back from Harajuku with the trains all by myself! It is actually not that difficult if you know the names of all the stops you have to go to in order to reach a certain detiantion. For example, in order to come to the school, which is in Takadanobaba, I have to first go to Akebane, then Ikebukuro, and finally Takadanobaba. As long as you know the names of the stations where you have to switch trains, it is easy, because the signs are written in both kanji and romaji (English letters), and the names of the stations are also written in Romaji when they are announced.
Oh yeah, today, for lunch, I went to a restaurant with Robin and Rebecca, and apparently, everything they served contained pork! I had to buy some noodles with seaweed =( They said we'll go to a restaurant that serves fish next time, so I hope I will be able to eat then! Haha
Oh, and what they say about Japanee people being helpful and able to sleep everywhere is true! I noticed this on the train, where one man gave a sweater I dropped withou noticing, and when people who were standing up in the train dozed off. At one time, I also saw that the people sitting down on one side were all asleep! How can you sleep in such a train? It is cramped, you lose your balance, and it is only about 2 minutes between the stations! Very interesting...

The plane...

A few things about the plane going from Copenhagen to Tokyo that I wanted to write down so that I won't forget. The plane actually surprised me! They showed movies on the plane on screens in front of every seat, and the movies were quite new! For example, they showed Angels and Demons, Terminator Salvation, The Boat That Rocked etc.
Another funny thing was that you could choose to see the scenery outside the plane on the screen. Apparently, the plane had one camera in the front of the plane, and one under it. Wasn't really interesting during the night though...
I also noticed that the yoghurt they served for breakfast was from Valio. Valio usually produces lactoe-free products, so I thought about what mom had said the day before, that in Japan, 100% of the population is lactose-intolerant. Interesting. The crew really knew their passengers! =)
One thing I wonder is how the guy next to me managed to sleep so well. He was sleeping before the breakfast, then he woke up to eat it, then he fell asleep again as they were collecting the empty trays, and he was asleep until we landed. And I mean landed and starting to leave the plane. I wish I could be like that too sometimes, I have always had difficulties falling asleep.
And here come some amazing news. You are allowed to take pictures on the plane! Unfortunately, I did not have a window seat, so I couldn't take any pictures =( I'll do it next time ;)

Oliver!


Trees everywhere


Colours!!!


My room 2


My room


Tokyo!

Today I arrived to Tokyo, and I couldn't sleep on the plane! Now that I am writing this, the clock is half past five (in the evening), or in Sweden half past ten (in the morning). I have to admit that I am a little tired, and when my host took me around Urawa and tried to show me the neighbourhood, I was too tired to listen. I really wanted to, and I did my best! But due to my lack of sleep my brain just decided to doze off.
One thing that I found interesting was the toilet. There is a tap on the top of the toilet, you know, where you usually flush, and the "flushing device" is then located on the side of the toilet. When you flush the toilet, water come out of the tap at the same time so that you can wash your hands. Talk about saving space! I also like all the pictures they have =) I am going to post a few pictures to show you what I mean.
I am also going to post a few pictures of my room, which is Japanese style! =D
Tomorrow I will now more about my school and my classmates, that will be funny! I am really looking forward to it =)
Oh, and one more thing, today I ate udon! It was really good =)

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