Social Internets
For someone who has signed up for a bunch of social networking sites, I’m not all that social, hmm. I thought, unasked, though not unprompted, I’d give a rundown of my current “social” around the web. The long and short of it is that each site has a specific use/audience, and so when I wan to do, see or share X, I know to go to Y to do it. My mind is generally split and compartmentalized anyway, so I guess being able to keep up on each site individually is a part of that. That said, I’m not really that active anyway so that plays a part as well, making it easier. This first paragraph summarizes it all really … I guess this turned out to be kinda long.
I’ll use it maybe, once a year. Interesting concept, but too much work maybe.
I’m a people watcher, yeah. So in a way, I use the site to keep tabs on other people. I won’t say anything about “friends,” but they’re people I’ve met in real life or on the web: people I work with, family, schoolmates and wota basically. There I share pics of my stuff, and myself and other random stuff I feel might be appropriate to this audience. A few other sites are aggregated and shared here as well, that automatically post to my wall and stuff. At this point in time I’ve stripped myself of any type of anonymity and am open to share most everything on there; all my wota stuff, Solo Space, school progress and what not. People who care can gleam a bit of insight into my interests while I sit back and observe what they share and interact occasionally.
I used to be on there a bit, when I was working on programming and testing an API to interface with it, but don’t use it anymore. My pictures go up on Facebook, despite the loss of quality when doing so, and so I really have no use for it.
The site aggregates all of this social stuff in one place. Still use it, but not as much since I did that big purge at the beginning of the year.
Google runs my mail and calendar and a bunch of other stuff tied to Google Apps and my gsolo.com domain. Google Reader is the big thing here, I’ve got 300+ feeds organized for quick skimming and reading if something catches my eye. With their new thing where you can basically subscribe to changes in any site, RSS or not, it makes it easy to follow a bunch of stuff.
This is kind of a set it and forget it type of thing. Everything is scrobbled from my desktop and my iPhone. I used to use it to find new artists, but I don’t do that now. I do take a look at what others are listening to, and what events are going on in Japan. I’ll love tracks and tag ‘em, but that’s about it.
Connect with people I work with, past and present. I update my profile every once in a while when something changes, but that’s it really.
One person I know has a blog there, so that’s probably the only reason I’m there. There’s an asexuality community there too, I’ll read the posts but don’t comment myself.
Signed up, just because. My sister is on there so is one of my nieces. I never really use the site tho.
It’s still hooked up to my blogs and stuff, but I don’t use the site anymore.
Solo Spacer is where I post Chinami pics, or other idol pics I find interesting and I think others might be interested in as well. Solo Chanr is for other stuff, sometimes personal and TMI, pics not for Facebook, and not for the other Tumblr account.
I’m kinda late to the whole image boards and image uploaders and stuff, but I’ve got a semi lengthy list of bookmarks that I use to find stuff I might like. Then, there’s also Google Reader, as I mentioned earlier.
Four accounts? Yeah, that’s me splitting again. gSOLO is my original account, I’ve somewhat abandoned it as I went on a bit of a social isolation trip, but keep it around and continue to watch people and will interact on occasion. solo_kun, that’s for me practicing Japanese.
solo_san was created to sync up with my Solo San blog. As with the blog, it was to be used with more personal and potentially TMI postings. Setup for people to find me. The thinking was, follow me if you want to, but don’t complain about what I write…?
solo_chan, well, that is the “Way Too Much Information” account. solo_chan was created in August, right about the time my thyroid issues really started having an impact on my mental health. A place to vent, I don’t care if people read it or not, ‘twas just an outlet for me.
Wrote one review. It’s a useful site, but since I don’t really go out much, I don’t use it much.
I’m on there, but not that much. I’ll use Google to search for videos, I’m clicking on other people’s links or I subscribe to a few things and it shows up in Google Reader. There’s a lot of stuff on there that I find entertaining, I just maybe haven’t found a method to filter through it all efficiently and so I kinda don’t bother outside of the aforementioned means.
Other
Not really social networking, but I go on schizoids.net, asexuality.org and narutofan.com and will occasionally post my two cents in response to something.
I’ve not been to #wotachat in a long while. Stopped in September. More social isolation fueled by my mental health issues getting worse during that time. Past that, there are a few reasons I’ve “run away” … without getting too into it: When I’m in there, there’s usually nothing going on. If there is some chatting going on, I can’t keep up (I overthink everything, so by the time I’ve figured out something to say, the conversation has moved on). I don’t contribute anything because of that, and beyond that I’ve got nothing much to say. Another thing, when I have attempted to go back in, some of the stuff they talk about is something I don’t necessarily want to be a part of. I’ll leave that vague. I’ve never been much of a chatter online or offline, so, yeah.
Anyway, I know I’m probably missing some stuff… like the list isn’t long enough. Or well, it seems long, but it feels like it’s not that much to keep up with… perhaps because despite being on all those social sites, as I said, I’m really not that social. I’m there, but I’m not really there.
Impact on the World
What impact on the world or future generation would you like to leave/impart?
I enjoy learning and continue to pursue my interests for my own sake, but also because I’d like to eventually share that knowledge with someone else. As simple as communicating with and educating today’s youth about history, culture and where “we” come from. Teaching them language so that they can communicate with the world. Introducing them to technology to help and inspire their own innovations. I don’t need to make a big mark, but to just touch one person’s life, or influence them, that would be enough for me.
About Me
Introductory Information
What are you most passionate about?
My current passion lies with that of the music, culture, languages and history of East Asia. In general, I’ve always had an interest in learning about history and various social studies; exploring the variety of cultures out there, comparing and contrasting the differences and similarities.
I have traveled to Japan a couple of times and enjoyed experiencing the music up close and personal, as well as visiting museums and other historical landmarks. The long history provides a lot of material to look into and I’ve not even scratched the surface. I’ve been studying the language and overall have been having a fun time doing so.
What are the THREE things for which you are MOST thankful?
- Modern technology and how it contributes to an overall better quality of life in a multitude of different ways.
- My career, which has continually allowed me to be in a position to be paid for things I enjoy doing.
- Having the opportunity and ability to learn, travel to and explore different cultures and histories that interest me.
Other than your parents, who has been the most influential person in your life and why?
My sister. Although growing up we had our share of quarrels, sibling rivalries and all of that, it is the polarity of our personalities combined with an underlying friendship between the two of us that influenced who I am today.
The four things your friends say about you are:
- Rational
- Easy-Going
- Good Listener
- Quiet
What are three of your BEST life-skills?
- Continuing to expand my knowledge and awareness
- Remaining calm yet resilient during a crisis
- Managing my finances
What is the most important quality that you are looking for in another person?
As I am someone who is fairly receptive to new ideas, experiences and listening to others’ views and opinions, I would be interested in someone who holds a similar open-mindedness to my own. And while being open, I would expect that person would also be confident in their beliefs and be able to express their own points of view with conviction. Not overconfident, but flexible with regards to seeing both sides of the story.
Other than your appearance, what is the first thing that people notice about you?
The first thing one will notice about me is my nonchalant attitude. I’m the kind of person that tends to go with the flow, staying calm under pressure and always having a level head on my shoulders. When things need to get done, or when the situation gets bad, I am able to put the effort into solving problems, but not in a way that causes panic or worry. My laid-back demeanor tends to keep people grounded, and one could say that people feel a sense of calm and comfort while being around me in those situations. Combined with an overall friendly, rational and open-minded way of thinking, I am apt to get along with just about anyone.
What is the ONE thing that people DON’T notice about you right away that you WISH they WOULD?
I’m not afraid to take on some risk, go on an adventure, push some boundaries. I’d say I’m up to trying anything once and enjoy partaking in new experiences to mix it up every once and a while. At first glance, that side of me might not be immediately apparent, but with a little nudge, I’m game.
How do you typically spend your leisure time?
I enjoy reading and writing about the types of music I listen to; reading others reviews and opinions, and providing my own. I’ll go out to dinner with friends or out to see the latest action, adventure or comedy that’s playing in the theater. A quiet night at home, watching a movie or enjoying a home cooked meal can work too. Other than that, just relaxing, watching a bit of news or other interesting television program, or surfing the net for a bit will keep me occupied.
What are five things that you “can’t live without?”
- The capacity to love and be loved.
- Music and a variety of life’s organized sounds.
- Knowledge and the means to learn more.
- Glasses to focus the view of the world around me.
- Chocolate and peanut butter.
Describe the last book that you read and enjoyed. What was it about? What did you like most about it?
The Way of Zen by Alan Wilson Watts was an interesting read that discussed a lot of concepts that to me, just clicked and made sense. From the history, to an introduction to the concept of Zen, the material is presented from an out of the ordinary point of view that makes the read through an enjoyable, relatable and informative experience. It’s not a life-changing book by any means, but it did open my eyes a bit.
Describe one thing about yourself that only your best friends know.
I was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. Wait, wait, there’s more to the tale than that… Interestingly, St. Paul is known as one of The Twin Cities; Minneapolis-Saint Paul as we call it. As it relates to me, I am the oldest of a pair of twins (I have to point out that I’m older, even though it’s only by two minutes). My twin sister and I were born in The Twin Cities; an amusing fact that not many people know about.
Is there any additional information you would like your matches to know about you?
There’s only so much detail about myself that I can fit into this profile; and so while I’ve said a bunch, there’s so much more to get to know about me. Anything caught your interest? If you’ve got any questions for me, shoot, and I’ll answer honestly. Even if it’s just a simple observation, comment or criticism, let me know. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
Report Card – Semester Three
Despite a few issues this semester, things turned out pretty well.
First, my microeconomics class was an interesting one. The teacher I had was a bit, hmm, preachy. Anti-government, free-market kind of guy, who didn’t hesitate to point out the flaws of all of the current political and economic issues going on. Because of his teaching style however, I would say that I learned a lot. He really opened my eyes to a variety of different views and changed my ways of thinking a bit (or rather, got me thinking where I was mostly apathetic before). And that perhaps, was his goal.
Now, I say I may have learned a lot, but I’m a bit worried that I might not have learned the things I needed to learn as far as continuing my studies in economics is concerned. He taught practical, real world economics, and not say, academic economics. That’s my feeling anyway.
Though I never received higher than a 65% on any of my tests or quizzes, I managed to get an A in the class. Attendance and class participation was a big factor in that. An enjoyable class, I’m looking forward to continuing with economics.
I’m going to miss Patton-sensei, my Japanese teacher of the past year and a half, tho I’m sure I’ll see her around sometimes. Patton and Slaymaker did a great job with presenting the material and I really enjoyed the class this year. I also learned a lot of new stuff, some of which I got to use during my trip to Japan this past Thanksgiving. While in Tokyo, I had to ask for directions, something we had just gone into detail about days before. Using what I’ve been taught in class, speaking listening and understanding while actually in Japan, it’s a great feeling.
The class, I do not feel was significantly harder than JPN 101 and 102, but I didn’t do as well as I had hoped. I managed to be consistent however, and squeezed out a B for the semester. I’m not going to make any excuses, but I definitely need to push myself harder, study more &c. I feel I need to take this more seriously. As with economics, I’m looking forward to continuing learning not only the Japanese language, but also more about its culture, history and beyond.
Fall 2009 (6)
A – ECO 201 – Principals of Microeconomics
B – JPN 201 – Intermediate Japanese I
Summer I 2008 (3)
A – MA 109 – Algebra
Summer II 2008 (3)
A – MA 123 – Calculus
Fall 2008 (19)
A – ENG 101 – Writing I
A – JPN 101 – Intro Japanese I
P – CIS 105 – Intro Computing
P – CIS 130 – Micro Applications
A – GEO 130 – Earth Science
A – STA 291 – Statistics
Spring 2009 (14)
A – PSY 100 – Intro Psychology
A – ENG 102 – Writing II
A – JPN 102 – Intro Japanese II
A – COM 181 – Public Speaking
Berryz Tattoo
This is my fourth tattoo, and much like the other three, this one has a particular meaning. It’s somewhat obvious if you take a read over at my other blog, or browse trough some of my photos. To keep it short tho, I’m pretty passionate about Japanese culture in general, and Japanese music. Berryz Koubou is a largish part of that and this tatto, aptly positioned is a representation of that. Read more
6 Days in Tokyo
My last 6 days were spent in and around Tokyo. I had some ideas on where I wanted to go and generally kept myself busy, all the while still managing to miss a lot of what Tokyo has to offer.
Akihabara
I’d certainly be broke if I lived close to anything like this. Akihabara, the ever growing Electric Town, has shops full of computers and various electronics, as well as lots of anime, manga and other otaku related goods. A lot of the shops are laid out so that each floor has a specific something that they’re selling. Like on the first floor, they’d have cameras or something, the second they’d have computers and on the seventh they’d have video games, anime and action figures. Really, it was all pretty cool. I visited a couple of arcades which have a similar layout, different types of games on each floor.
There were a couple of maid cafes here, which I was tempted to stop in, lol. But decided against it, until next time when my Japanese is a bit better. It’s just one of those things I have to experience sometime.
I would come back to Akiba once more in my trip in search of some Bakugan figures to bring back as souvenirs. That said, although it originated on Japan, Bakugan apparently isn’t too popular here, so it was hard to find something, though I eventually did so. I also grabbed the latest Weekly Jump magazine, which is a thick book of manga including series like Naruto, One Piece and Bleach. I really wasn’t expecting it to be packed full of so much stuff; I basically got it though because there were some color pages of Naruto featured in it that week, heh.
Shinjuku
Plenty of skyscrapers, shopping and food. Didn’t do much but look around the city portion of it and had planned come back later at night, but ran out of time. From here however, I did take a short trip to Nakano, to Nakano Broadway, which had some interesting shopping and what not to look at.
I visited Shinjuku Gyoen (Gargen), which was pretty large and had some interesting designs and layout of the various trees, bushes and flowers. It was a nice peaceful walk compared to the city side of things.
Shibuya
Busy, busy, busy and lots of cool fashion, and shops, and stuff to do. I did a lot of walking around and throughout the stores, starting at the big 109 shops across the street as you leave the train station. That famous crosswalk was pretty cool too, the cars stop and everyone gets movin’, iconic Tokyo. I missed the famous Hachikou dog, totally forgot about it the couple of times I would come here, oops. Overall this seemed like a cool place to hang, even just during the day time or on the weekends.
I went to the Hello! Project shop here, and bought up a lot of Berryz stuff. There were a few sold out photosets that I would pick up at the some of the other stores, and I saw some stuff on the way out that I had missed. As I mentioned before, if this stuff was more accessible to me, I’d be so broke, lol.
Ueno
Took a walk through Ueno Park which connects to a lot of museums and a zoo. The park was really nice. There’s a lot to do here but I spent most of my time at the Tokyo National Museum. The museum had a lot of artifacts, statues and history to look over. Definitely enjoyed walking thought it all.
Made a trip to the Hello! Project store here to buy some more Berryz stuff. Yeah, I didn’t buy much while in Japan, but I spent a pretty penny on H!P.
Tokyo Tower
Tokyo’s Eiffel Tower, only bigger. At the base looking up this thing is kind of daunting. From the top down, even more so. There were two observatories here, one at 150 meters and another at 250 meters (the tower is 333m). Nice view of the city from both. There is also a small museum inside and some shops to go along with it. One thing that was interesting was when riding the elevator to 250 m. An announcement said something to the effect of, “there will be a cracking noise, this is normal.” I just found that to be a bit amusing, lol. The ride up was a little nerve tingling, but the view is worth it.
Harajuku
Went a couple of times, but made sure one of them was on Sunday, when a lot of people were said to hang out. Another fashion spot similar, but different from Shibuya; and it’s withing walking distance of Shibuya, tho I didn’t walk the whole way, I did walk around a bit. Streets full of young people, in the shops and hanging in the park.
Visited another H!P shop and also stopped in a bunch of the other stores located along Takeshita Dori right outside the train station. The Oriental Bazaar and Kiddy Land were on my list of shopping stops as well.
The Meiji Shrine and Yoyogi Park were also in the immediate vicinity. A lot of walking, there was a lot to see. Yoyogi Park was huge and bustling with activity. From people playing soccer to cosplayers posing, dancing and acting for crowds, picnicking families and kendo practice/performances. A lot going on and it was great to just sit back and observe.
Odaiba
Spent a whole day here, there was a lot going on. On the ride over I noticed that there was some sort of special Pokemon promotion going on. There were a lot of cute kids and families with Pikachu hats and little booklets packed on the trains over the weekend. They went to the Pokemon Center to get info and apparently each train station had a booth setup where you could get stickers and such. You would also get a pokemon stamp to stamp in your booklet. Got to catch ‘em all, haha.
Going to Odiaba I took the unmanned/automated train, the Yurikamome, over the Rainbow Bridge. It was kind of slow, but still cool that no one was driving it so to speak. I sat in the front which offered an awesome view. Coming over, I could see the giant Gundam towering in the park, was really cool.
Spent a lot of time at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation. Lots of interactive and informative displays on computers, technology and biology. And an Awesom-O… err an ASIMO demonstration. He was pretty cool, talking and interacting, walking, running and kicking a ball; he drew a large crowd.
Saw the mini Statue of Liberty, which was kinda funny. Apparently France had temporarily brought over a larger one for display. After it was taken back, the mini one was put up in its place. In addition to that, I did a lot of walking around to the ferris wheel, and the shopping and restaurants all that.
Photos are up on Facebook here and here.
Had a great time in Japan and hope to go back soon. The flight home was as uneventful as the flight out, and customs was a breeze; non existent really. There’s more to be said, but I’m going to leave it at that. Fun, fun, fun!
Tokyo Tour
For my first full day in Tokyo, I decided to go on a guided tour of the city. Of course I wouldn’t be hitting all of the spots in the city, but I thought it’d be a good idea to get a general view. It was a guided bus tour, so there was a bit of info about all of the spots we visited thrown in which was nice.
Picked up from the hotel, I was bused over to the bus station at Hamamatsucho, where the first half of the eightish hour tour would begin. We started things off in the World Trade Center on the 40th floor observatory which offered a nice view of the city. Was a little unlucky with the weather, but you could still see a good distance even with some clouds hanging around.
From here we hopped on the bus in transit to the next stop. On the bus, I sat with a few Perfume fans which was kinda interesting. They had asked how long I was there and what not and I made mention that I had been to a Hello! Project concert, of which they were not immediately familiar. When I mentioned Morning Musume however, it clicked. Anyway, the one guy was there for college which had just ended and so he was then with his friends visiting before leaving. So, they were kind of a hyper, younger bunch of people… yeah.
The next stop was to a 40 minute boat ride (ferry, or whatever) through the Sumida River. Was pretty cool cursing through Tokyo, though it was kinda hard to take pictures. The end point of the ride was in Asakusa, where we would visit the Kannon Temple, which is apparently the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo. Leading to the temple was the Nakamise Shopping Arcade, a road full of shopping for Japanese goods and food. I didn’t buy anything there, but there sure was a lot to look at.
At the main gate and inside the Kannon Temple itself, there were some pretty cool Raijin and Fuujin statues and the overall architecture of the buildings was cool. The whole experience of the temple was nice, from the holy water, the billowing smoke, the fortune/luck things, to the inside with the offering box, statues and other cool stuff.
This first half of this tour ended with a trip through Ginza and a stop at the Imperial Palace. Ginza is a place where they used to manufacture money, now they say it’s a place where they take money. A lot of big, expensive shops and brands, a nice place to go window shopping, but that’s about it with most’ budgets. While touring through Ginza, the guide talked a lot about the hard economic times.
The Imperial Palace is where the royal family lives. It’s a huge plot of land surrounded by a moat. The buildings on the inside are fairly low, so it’s not like a castle or anything. Which makes sense from both a defense and practicality standpoint. It had started to rain at this point, but we got some good views still.
On to the second half of the tour, we first headed out through Ginza over the Rainbow Bridge and on to Odaiba, the man made island in “new” Tokyo. We had dinner atop some… building, I forget the name, haha. It offered a good view as a lof of these tall buildings do and the food, a variety of sashimi, was good.
From there, we headed to the park where the giant Gundam was on display. Even at night, this thing was really impressive; so large, and detailed. This was a temporary display, so I’m glad I was able to see it.
The night ended in Roppongi Hills, with a high view of the city at night. Roppongi is one of the newer developed areas of Tokyo, and you could tell. The place was a little busy for a Tuesday, I can see that this is an active place. That said, I’ve not heard all that much good about Roppongi, that I’d be interested in anyway, so it would be my only stop in the Hills.
On the way home, it had started raining pretty hard but I got dropped off right at the hotel so it was alright. ‘Twas a good first day.
Photos are up on Facebook.
Yokohama
A day trip to Yokohama included a visit to the Ramen Museum, Chinatown and a bit of wandering around Yokohama Port. Yokohama was a straight shot from Shinagawa, so getting there via train was a piece of cake.
I had looked up the Ramen Museum before deciding to go, but the concept of what exactly went on there wasn’t too clear until I actually got there. I understood that in the basement there would be a replica of various ramen shops, but I thought it’d be more museumesque, rather than like a restaurant. Aayway, on the first floor there is some history and photos and displays of various ramen making tools and such. Simple stuff, but it’s put together well I think. There’s also a souvenir shop, tho I decided not to get anything from there.
On the bottom floor, there is a series of 9 restaurants, each representing a different area of japan. The whole floor is laid out as if it was some old town that you were walking through, the atmosphere was pretty cool. Basically what you did here was visit each one of the ramen shops where you could either get a sample of ramen, served in this mini bowl; or you could go in, sit down and eat a large bowl, selected from a wide range of ramen that one might have found served in that particular area of Japan that the ramen shop is supposed to represent. Was cool, though I managed to burn my tongue a bit. Nice variety tho, and all of it was tasty.
Next stop was to Chinatown, Japan’s largest. I’ve never been to a Chinatown or other, themed(?), area of a town like that, and so it was pretty interesting. The roads were filled with shopping, and food and other entertainment, oh and people; lot’s of people packed the streets. And the place was pretty huge, it stretched far and wide so it took a while to walk through it all.
From Chinatown I headed to the “futuristic” port. The walk took me through Yamashita Park which was pretty calm, but with a lot of people lounging and walking around. There were a few performances going on in the park, like a juggler who had gathered a large crowd. Lots of large buildings, a ferris wheel, boats and stuff could be seen on the way to the “Sky Garden”. It reminded me of the inner harbor in Baltimore a little bit, only bigger and more up to date. Well, I’ve not much to compare it to really.
Enjoyed my visit to Yokohama and there’s some stuff I missed while there, so I’d definitely make another trip if I had more time.
Photos are up on Facebook.
Nagoya
The sun sure does rise early here in the Land of The Rising Sun. Woke up at about 4:30 on Sunday and the sun was beginning its journey. Before getting ready for the day, I had checked my emails and double checked a few spots to visit in Nagoya while I was there waiting for the Hello! Project concert.
The bathroom here is pretty spacious I guess, comparatively speaking. And the water in the shower stayed hot, unlike some hotels I’ve stayed at in the past. Overall the room is pretty good; it’s in a convenient location and has a lot of sights, shops and restaurants &c right on grounds.
Packed up all of my stuff, making sure I had my concert tickets and what not, my jacket and umbrella as well, as it was supposed to rain. Then I headed down to the first floor for a hybrid American/Japanese style breakfast buffet. It was a little bit pricey, but I’ll pay for convenience. The food was good and so I just chilled there for a little bit before heading to the train station.
Entering the station, sliding the ticket into the little ticket gate was easy enough and so I proceeded downstairs to find where I would be waiting for the train. Found it, and promptly headed back up stairs into the air conditioned waiting rooms to avoid the humid heat.
After a little wait, went back and boarded the train. Pretty comfortable seats with plenty of space and the ride was fast and smooth. Arrived in Nagoya and as planned, headed out to find the concert venue before doing any other sight seeing. One issue however, I was at the wrong train station (which I hadn’t realized at the time)… and so I spent about a half hour looking for the place that obviously wasn’t going to be there. The little map I had did have a street with a 19 on it, which I saw a 19 as I exited, thought I was in the right place, lol. Anyway, I headed back to the station, got a ticket to the -next- station on the local train and found myself set straight.
The concert hall was just a few blocks away, and as I walked up to it, I had seen that a lot of people had already started gathering. I was planning to go to Nagoya Castle, but instead decided to just hang out there. About a block away, they were doing some sort of a talent show/performance thing, unrelated to the H!P concert. So I watched that for a bit and also did a bit of walking around the general area.
As for the concert itself, I have that detailed a little on my other blog. I had a great time, to say the least of the experience.
Before the second concert started, outside, it had started to rain. Only had to wait about a half an hour tho, and I was back indoors. And at the end of the night, around 9:00 PM, it was still raining, but again, it was just a skip over to the train station and I was all set to go. One problem tho, the train ticket I bought was for 8:30… oops. For some reason I wasn’t expecting the concert to last so long. Anyway, the ticket I had was for a reserved seat, so all I had to do is board with the same ticked, only, in one of the unreserved cars of the train. Pretty simple, and the ride back to Shinagawa was about as uneventful as the ride to Nagoya. Slept a little bit on the train, as I was exhausted from the days activities. Got back at around 11:00 and rested up a bit.
Don’t think I’ll be able to top this, my first full day in Japan. And still, I can’t wait to explore some more over the next week or so.
Photos are up on Facebook.
LEX > ORD > NAR > Shinagawa
LEX
Called a cab a little bit later than I probably should have. I did the online check in thing tho, so I had a few extra minuites to spare. Security check was speedy and I arrived at the gate just as they were calling my seating group. Take off from LEX was a little bit bumpy as storms had just started to roll in. It was in any case, pretty cool to see the lightning in the clouds from a different perspective.
ORD
About a four hour layover, meh. Anyway, I wasn’t able to get a boarding pass to my ANA flight either online, or in Lexington. It was early in the morning when I arrived in Chicago, so there weren’t many customer service places to ask where I was supposed to get it really. They said at the ANA counter, but there wasn’t an ANA counter setup anywhere. Didn’t waste too much time looking and instead grabbed some breakfast at McDonald’s. Eventually the flight showed up on the departures screen and I was told that ANA wouldn’t be setup until a couple hours later. Parked next to an outlet, tethered my iPhone/MacBook and just wasted some time on the internet.
ORD > NAR
The long flight. Was a Boeing 777, which I think is the biggest one flying now. I was in a window seat in the front of the economy section, which wasn’t too bad. If I recall correctly, I had an isle seat when traveling to Sweden; gave me some extra leg room in a way, not that the room here was bad, but it could have been better. The seats were overall comfortable. For long flights in the future tho, I think I’ll try and book premium when I can, just for the fun of it. Plus I’ve got special benefits with United Airlines/ANA through my bank and stuff.
The flight was pretty uneventful. I listened to a special RIP SLYME summer mix thing; they have a pretty good summer sound, which is what first caught my interest with Taiyou to Bikini last year. Watched a movie, Oppia Volleyball -_-; It was alright, not great. Other than that, I listened to my iPod most of the time. I had originally planned to sleep a lot, but only got in one to two hours.
The food was pretty good, if not a little much. But I guess it made sense for a 12+ hour flight. Steamed salmon with creamy dill sauce; Vegetable lasagna with tomato marinara; Sandwiches, ice cream and other various snacks and sides.
NAR
Customs was a bit easier than what I remembered. Tho, maybe it was the flight back from Sweden that I was thinking about being a bit more thorough. Through luggage and customs it took a little more than an hour. Exchanged the ~$200 cash I brought with me, with plans of using ATMs &c as needed.
Was going to take the train to Shinagawa and get the special discounted ticket thing they had going on. The train that stopped there wouldn’t leave for another hour tho, either that, or I would have to do a transfer which I wasn’t interesting figuring that out on my first day here. Took the bus straight to the hotel, as was originally recommended to me anyway.
Shinagawa
Check in was painless, just showed them my passport and they made a copy of my credit card. My concert tickets were there waiting for me as well, which I admit, I was just a little bit worried about. The room is nice, cool view, with a queen bed and internet access. The room also has American style plugs, which I don’t need, but it’s still nice. ‘Twas recommendation that I made use of and am happy with it.
Didn’t do much the last few hours of the day; walked around a bit, stopped by an ATM, grabbed a quick bite. I also explored the train station and grabbed some tickets for my trip to Nagoya and back. I talked with one of the ticket sellers rather than trying my hand at the automated machines. Time, date, number of people, train number, destination to/from &c is all pretty easy speaking Japanese I think, so I was able to get in and out pretty quickly. They more than likely spoke English anyway if I needed it.
Oh, and, first impressions. Well, there’s a bunch of stereotypical(?) stuff, or stuff you see I’ve seen movies and such that stood out. Sailor fuku, umm, the automatic doors, the overall housing, buildings side streets, escalators (sand on left) &c. Looking forward to exploring more.
So far so good. Well, except for the lack of pictures… I’ll get on that eventually, maybe.
Photos are up on Facebook.
