Ugh, what a day. I have lost count of how many times I've gone between feeling extremely happy and extremely depressed today.
I guess it doesnt help that I've seen sunrise every day for over a week. Yesterday was some sort of party run by the kenkyushitsu, where everyone connected with it shows up, eat, drink, be merry, chat, and some people give some speeches. I tuned out for those, so I dont really know what they were talking about. I dont know. I headed off down to the city at about 6pm, but on the way something strange happened to my bike, the reflector from in between the spokes of the front wheel flew off and the pedal hit me pretty hard in the ankle.
We were in a restaurant that I think was supposed to be Thai, though the stuff that was served was pretty generic - a salad, some fried squid, some fried something-that-I-really-hope-was-chicken, and thick pretzel sticks in cream cheese. This wasnt so bad, though I reckon for $30 I should have come away feeling absolutely full, not slightly peckish.
More fun was definitely had at the second gathering of the night- after two hours in the Thai place we moved down the road to a Karaoke spot. Photos are up.
The best part about karaoke (other than the music) is that you are not expected to be a good singer - if anything, you are expected to sound like a dying dugong, and anything better than that is praised. I used to go to karaoke a lot when I was in Japan four years ago, and for a few moments last night, with familiar japanese songs on the karaoke machine, watching the coloured swipe mark your place in the lyrics, it really felt like it was back in 2000, having fun, totally enjoying myself. The night wound down, eventually, and I went back to my burrow.
Normally, I just cant sleep when I go to bed. I've never been able to fall asleep straight away (as in, within ten minutes) after getting into bed, never. Usually it used to take me about an hour or two, but lately its been taking longer and longer, which results in my sleeping in later and later, a vicious circle that has seen me be still awake at sunrise every day since the start of April.
Its when I'm just lying in bed, trying to sleep, that its the hardest part of the day. I think about what positive experiences I am gaining by being in Japan (none), I think about the great asset this is becoming for my future (its not), but most of all I think about Sarah, friends and family. The nights are always hard, and not a day goes by when I dont, at least at some point, wish I wasn't here.
Last night was just a particularly hard night, compounded by simply not being able to sleep at all. After exhausting my phone card talking to Sarah I emailed back and forth from my phone, stuck a movie on, when that finished, stuck another movie on, but just had no luck in trying to fall asleep.
Its not that Im not tired- I just cant fall asleep.
My ankle was still sore from where my bike attacked me, and the cup of water I had beside my bed so I wouldnt dehydrate, I left too close to the side of the bed and my futon knocked it over, then proceeded to soak up a whole cupful of water into the corner of my futon. I didnt realise this until I had pulled the futon up and it lay on the bed for a bit, the water then soaking into the bottom futon too.. I just changed ends of the bed and avoided the wet patch.
Through the night I must have gone from very very happy (once, at karaoke), to about as low as I've been in Japan, in tears and just wanting to leave (three or four times) to passably OK and thinking it is dealable (three or four times).
When it passed 7am, I decided enough was enough, got up, had breakfast, and came in to uni, where I've been ever since...
I did go to the uni travel agent, and am on the point of booking a flight to America, too, so that had me back feeling very very very happy again... though now Im just tired. Should go back to the burrow and try to sleep soon...
I am very tired... hopefully tonight I will sleep quickly...

76 <- probably less

The compulsion to protect the 'wa' is so strong here it lead to my seeing the single most astounding thing I have ever seen in Japan. This wasnt recently, I saw it when I was in Okazaki in February.
It was about 11pm, I was out on my bike (the one with the automatic transmission), and arrived at a crossroad. There were traffic lights - every intersection seems to have traffic lights - and they were green on the road I was approaching from. I was on the footpath, as per Japanese traffic laws. Normally in the middle of the night, with little or no other traffic around, I would cross the road even against a red light, but it was green. I did slow down, and indeed stop, because from the side road a police car was coming, with its flashing lights flashing. I figured, best to stop because they will obviously run the red light and continue on their way.
Oh no... they STOPPED. And waited the full three minutes or however long for the lights to change, before continuing on their way. I can only hope they werent rushing to the aid of someone in distress... it is evidently preferable for them to be late than risk breaking a traffic rule... Is it just in first world countries that the red and blue (red only in Japan) lights on emergency vehicles exist for excepting this rule?
I have indeed heard stories of ambulances doing the same thing - and a first person story ( the Sue-beast from Okazaki ) of seeing it happen while a patient was in the ambulance...
Wish I had a photo of that police car stopped at the lights, though....

78 (PS - you probably dont want to click on that link.... it really is scary...)

Before this week is out I will get a haircut. Its driving me crazy - but at least I can afford it now. I've been very good, and haven't gone over budget since the first week I was here (well, I did once, but it was 90 yen) - its much much easier to live under budget when Im not buying things for starting out... the ANU rice cooker and coffee maker from Eugene helped a lot! (By the way: Is anyone else getting the ads at the top of this page trying to sell me rice cookers?? I guess I talk about rice cookers a fair bit, but now that I have a rice cooker I dont want to buy another rice cooker! Maybe it just counts how many times I say rice cooker...)
What I am trying to figure out now is whether or not I can afford a computer to run Flight Simulator on. Of course, going to a computer shop and buying one straight out is well and truly out of the question - they only ever sell package deals and all far too expensive. If I were going to do it I would have to go and get a second hand machine and upgrade it so it works properly...
Of course, building this will probably take the best part of the next two months, and its really only a little bit over two months until I escape Sendai for the summer... and when I get back in Semester Two I wont be playing on the simulator ... plus, the money I would spend to get it up and running, well enough to actually be flyable, would cut into the money I'll have for spending over summer...
I think Ive convinced myself I wont actually do this... but it would be a good way to spend the next 79 days...
Went travel-agent hunting today, but that was rather frustrating. Kinki Nippon Tourist (after making me wait fifteen minutes in the office to be told that I was in the room for domestic travel only - international was upstairs... and empty) told me flat out that you cannot buy return tickets for longer than 30 days to America from Japan.... then they tried to sign me up on a five day package tour to New York.
I said no, and left.
Another travel agent down the road was a lot more helpful - they helped me determine that the best way to get to Narita airport is by train - the bus is only about twenty dollars cheaper and takes ten hours, the train will take about two or three. Flying is considerably more expensive when you factor in actually getting to Sendai Airport too...
Now if only I can find those websites I had earlier this month with really really cheap tickets... sometimes under $400... though it just struck me that they might have been one way.....
I'll keep on a-looking.
It does seem that the earlier I fly, the cheaper. This is fine by me - most of June is the same price and it stays that way until about the 2nd of July, then creeps up to being ridiculously expensive at about the same time as the school summer holidays start here. Oh well, looks like I'm going to have to re-adjust the countdown... its still getting closer, and that is exciting!

79

Well, its not going to take me 80 days to do it, but in 80 days from now I will indeed be around on the other side of the world.... and not a moment too soon.

There was an ad posted in the foyer of the Kaikan for the last couple of weeks advertising cheap rice for sale this Saturday just gone at a rice shop up in the northern reaches of Sendai.
I made careful note of the location, and set out at the appointed time. Biked all the way up the mountain to where I thought the relevant station was.... whoops, wrong station. Not to worry, I took the train to the right one, and set out walking.
From Kita Sendai Station I was to find the police station, then look for the Nagasakiya supermarket, then go directly across the road from that, and there would be the rice shop.
Followed the directions exactly, down to the supermarket, but all that was across the road (and on the same side too) were houses, and the occasional real estate agent!
So, no rice.
Back to the station, back to my bike, then came home with my tail between my legs....
I'll just have to buy it at the supermarket and pay their expensive prices...

80