Shinjuku Madness

It was Sunday, and I decided I needed to look like I was studying, at least a little bit so I went to Kinokuniya in Shinjuku to buy some Japanese text books. I really don't know what my level is, so I'm just going to study JPLT Level 2 first, and hopefully be able to take Level 1 in December. I looked at the kanji, and I knew about 1 in 10. Gulp.

Firstly, it was really boiling today. Blue sky, but disgustingly humid. We caught the train from Sangenjaya (my station) to Shibuya to change trains. We were chatting away, because usually there are two stops until Shibuya. Then, we saw this guy, who was sitting down, suddenly get up and rush out at the first stop. So, we were laughing at him. Until I turned around and saw the kanji for Shibuya outside the door. Luckily, it was still open, and we rushed out, much in the same manner as that guy...I am such a loser.

We hit Hanazono-jinja first, on the eastern side, where tere was a flea market, according to Lonely Planet. We got there, and there were about 10 old guys, selling obis and ceramics... but the shrine was pretty nice.

I just realised how stupid I look in this photo. Whoops. Must invent some poses.

So we had a wander around Shinjuku, but had omu rice for lunch! It was so, so good. The egg was meltingly wonderful, and the demiglace sauce...mmm!

As an aside, a totally Japanese thing happened today. I left a tiny slip of paper upon which I had written a phone number on the table after we finished eating. So, aftera couple minutes, I realised and with dread, headed back to the cafe to see if I had actually left it there. They had cleared the table, but had kept the little slip of paper! In Sydney, it's unimaginable for them not to have thrown it away.

Then, had to rush home because I got a TV! Ironic thing was, I got the TV for free from a guy who was leaving Tokyo, but had to pay around 60 bucks for delivery. And that was the haggled price, because I begged the delivery guy, who was English to help a poor student from the Commonwealth. And he felt sorry for me, and because I played the Commonwealth card, let me get it delivered for 6000 yen. He flat out told me if I had had an American accent, he would have totally refused. Snap for being Aussie, eh? And wonderful to get something delivered on a Sunday, after calling the guy at 9pm on Saturday. That's efficiency.

So it's great, but I had to get an antenna cable. So after catching my breath, I went at 5 to Shibuya's Bic Camera. And impulse bought some new earphones, of course.

And the wonderful thing about Japanese TV is you just plug it in, and all the channels magically appear. You don't have to do the whole fiddly thing with the setting up of the channels. Awesome!

And we had dinner in Shibuya, at kaitenzushi. The place was totally packed. And they have signs around the place that each person has to eat 7 plates at least, in under 30 minutes. Crazy. The sushi chef kept talking to my friend, Ju Hyun in Korean, and me too... I said I wasn't Korean, but Australian, and he was like, 'but you look totally Asian'. Haha.

Crazy Shibuya sushi chef.

But he recommended some really nice smoked duck sushi, as well as some squiggly thing, that I still have no idea, but think was so strange offal thing. It tasted goood.

And then I went out for a drink with the French people from my dorm, Ludo and Roxanne, as well as the Norwegian girl, Jorum and their friends, one of whom was half French, half Japanese, and working as a 3D animator! How supremely cool is that? She's workin on a film due for release at the end of next year..

Roxanne and Ludo are also effortlessly cool, in the way only Gallic people can be. They're starting a rock band...haha.

Ludo and Roxanne.

Tomorrow is a public holiday, and we're heading off to Harajuku. Should be interesting.