最後の日．．．

So, the day has finally come. I will be returning to WA in a few hours. I'm excited, but really sad. It's been an awesome few days here in CA, as it always is when I come to visit. Going to miss being around actual friends and not just co-workers and classmates. XP

I'll be going back to work on Wed, so I'll have some time to rest tonight and tomorrow. *not looking forward to it after hearing about all the changes that have occurred ><* I think I'm going to start my job hunt when I get back.

The summer will feel so long now, since I'm going back to doing nothing again :/ All I have to look forward to is school and work, and the latter half isn't in session right now...

I'll be graduating in the Spring of next year as well, so that will really give me free-time till I move onto another school. I haven't figured out where I'm going to transfer to just yet, but I think I might have somewhat of an idea of where I want to go now...

We'll just see where this road will take me...

出発の日．．．

So, that night of my last Japan trip entry, we tried to just stay awake the whole night in order to make it easier to fall asleep on the plane. It was a little hard seeing as how I was really doing nothing. However, we later decided to go get some food at 吉野家. It was about 4am when we decided to head out. We went to the one down the street by CoCo's b/c it was close and we knew that the place was open 24/7. We went inside and it looked so nice. It was probably the nicest looking 吉野家 I had ever been to ever. XD I bought the 豚キムチ丼 which tasted awesome as usual. It was a fitting end to our Japan trip.

*Yoshinoya [Nicest looking one we've ever been to]*

*4am walk home*

*The road before us*

*Hokka Hokka Tei moped inside place*

After that, we headed back. I tried to stay awake, but ended up falling asleep for a few hours. I woke up to the sound of my J-cell's alarm going off in Shuu's hand. I got up quickly and realized that I had about an hour till checkout. So, I prepared and packed everything and a few mins before 10, we were out and heading to 関西空港. We arrived at the airport around 11:30am and that was it. Check in time was at 1:30pm and we just sat there and waited till the time came. When that time finally rolled around, we checked in our bags, went to the departures area and waited at the gate. It was sooooooooo boring. Our flight was at 5:30pm that day and we were sitting at the gate around 1:50. -______________- About an hour before were scheduled to board a giant group..... no..... a hoard of people just bum rushed our area and occupied every remaining seat that was there. It was sick. They were a tourist group of like middle and high school students. It seriously made me sick to my stomach listening to all their convos. So pointless and mind numbing. -______-

*How I felt sitting there the whole time*

Finally on the plane, I realized I was sitting next to one of the girls that was in the group and I died a little bit on the inside. I tried my best to ignore the convo she had with her friend, but she was just so loud. It annoyed me b/c I couldn't listen to my music till we were at a certain altitude. The flight itself was ok. It wasn't as long as actually going to, to my surprise. The food was awful as usual. Dinner was chicken curry and rice that was clearly made by someone who didn't know what rice really tasted like. Breakfast was fruits and 1/4 of an egg/ cheese sandwich. It was gross.

When we finally landed, I GTFO'd off the plane and met Shuu in the departures area. We were a little worried since we hadn't filled out our customs form and no one seemed to have a pen. Finally, Shuu asked this Japanese guy if we could borrow one and luckily, he had a spare. We'll be sure to carry pens next time XD. We left the airport in CA around 11:50 and this is where I've been since.

Now, I'm at Shuu's house and will be here till Monday night. It's been pretty cool so far. A part of me wants to stay, but another part of me says I want to be sleeping in my own bed as well XDD

Slightly Off Topic

So a few days ago, I checked my grades and this is what I got:

Chemical Concepts: A *Wow.... A good chem. grade! I'm shocked!*

Japanese III: A *Yeah, this was an easy A for me. Hopefully, the later classes will be a little harder*

Cultural Anthropology: C *I expected something around this. Actually lower, since I knew I wasn't doing so great on the tests. The only A in the class I had ever gotten was on that paper. I think that's what saved me. X/*

Ok..... Back on topic now!

二十：最後の日

So, today was kind of a mixed bag really.

The day started off as usual. I had gotten up a little early today and was ready to go out and do some stuff. I woke up Shuu and he got up... for a little while. He went back to sleep after 5 mins. XD So, I spent the day planning last minute things to do and so forth. I was looking up お菓子や in the area and found a 沖縄料理レストラン instead. I was also researching how to get some 泡盛 back into the US. I think I'm doing it right, but I guess I'll find out when I get there. :P When Shuu finally woke up for good, I went out to go buy some snacks. since I was a little hungry. I told Shuu about the place when I got back and we decided to check it out.

Amazingly enough, it was just down the street, not even 5 mins away. Once inside, it had a very 沖縄 atmosphere. It was very 懐かしい. After a while, the owners and their daughter started to talk to us, in essentially complete 日本語. I felt really happy when I was there. I could understand a good majority of the owner and the wife's stories and even talked a little bit. You could tell they were from 沖縄 b/c they were willing to talk to us and so forth; something that's really uncommon in food places here in 日本. The owner played the 三線 while the daughter and the wife danced. They tried to get us to dance, but instead I just sat there and moved my hands to the music. XD It was a lot of fun. After a while, the owner handed the 三線 to Shuu and told him to practice, since he had said that he played in the past. We sat around for another hour just talking. We finally decided to up and leave and talk about what had happened. It was really a lot of fun going to the place. I hope to come back again some day.

Later that night, I wanted to run one more errand, called the "manga run". I had to go buy some まんが for some friends, so I decided to go to the BOOK OFF. *One of my favorite places to buy まんが* I had to take the train to 天王寺, though, since there were really no 書店s in the area. Getting there was easy enough, however, I had a hard time figuring out where the exit was that I needed to get to, so I had to walk around a little bit. However, it wasn't too far from where I was, so I got there really quick. After getting the stuff, I headed back . I ran into some English people staying here as well and they were talking about how they were trying to use US money in a store. I died a little on the inside. I tried to avoid them to the best of my ability and luckily I did. I just had to take the stairs instead of the elevator. I swear, when I finally got onto my floor, I could still hear them in the elevator and they were on the 4th floor! *We're on the 8th ><*

That was the extent of my day, I spent most of my time now, just watching TV and packing. I had already pre-packed this morning, so I didn't have a lot to do. Now, I just wait. The flight is in 13 hours. I'm not too excited to be sitting for another 10+ hours, but I don't really have a choice.

We'll be out of here at 10am and heading to 関西空港. From there, we'll just be chilling till it's time to depart. Will write again when I get back to the US.

See you all later!

十八、十九日: 京都とCOMME-CA

Day 18

Today, we woke up fairly early because we were going to head over to 京都 to meet up with one off Shuu's friends. We headed out around 10:50am and arrived in 京都 around 12:10pm. *We made the mistake of taking the 普通 train, so it took almost an hour* We arrived in 京都駅 and met up with his friend and her friend. We had planned to eat at マクドナルド but the place was packed and I wasn't too into eating there, especially after the メガタマゴ XP Instead, we went over to this place that specialized in making オムライス. It was really, really good. It was the first time I had ever had it. I had a hard time talking to Shuu's friends because of two major things. The biggest one being, I didn't know what to say. As most people know, I'm really... unsure of how to act around new people. *A key reason to why I have a hard time meeting new people* The second was that I was afraid of making mistakes with my 日本語. It's one thing to be able to read and write, but it's another thing to be able to speak. Coupled with my deteriorating knowledge of 日本語 and my fear of making a mistake and making myself look foolish, I kept mostly to myself. *Towards the end of the night I started to feel just a little bit more confident speaking* After we finished eating we headed to do some カラオケ. It was fun, but the lack of indie songs made it a little harder to sing the songs we wanted. None the less, it was fun. Afterwards, we explored the area and went down the main shopping street that kind of reminded me of 竹下通り. After a while, Shuu's friend's friend had to go home so we said good bye and we continued to look around. We went to a 書店 and a guitar store, before ending the night at a KFC. We talked for a little while longer, then decided to head home. When we got to the station we headed to our platforms, took some pictures, and said out final good byes. It was a really fun day. Probably the most we've done while here in Japan. We headed back to 大阪 on the 特別快速 and it only took about half an hour.

Day 19:

I had waken up early with the idea that maybe we would go out again today, but I wasn't sure I wanted to take the chance again. I went out the door around 1pm to go out and shop for some of my friends and coworkers. I went to the COMME CA mall- store thing that was in front of the 大阪駅 and spent a few hours there. I went to the JUMP store in there, along with UNIQLO and the electronic store. It was actually pretty fun. After I had finished with my shopping, I headed back to 谷町. Something that not many people know is that I like being around people. I like to see how people interact with others and to the environment. This whole time I've been here in Japan has been great. Ever since I had taken Sociology, my thoughts about studying people have been magnified. A great place to study in on the 地下鉄. Just the behavior and everything you see is interesting. Anyways, after that, I got back to the apt. To my surprise, Shuu was still sleeping. :/ I contemplated going out again, but I decided against it and hung around till he woke up. Essentially, that was my day.

We have one more day of free time here in Japan. I don't know how it will be spent, but I'll be sure to write about it soon. Until then...

*On a side note, I've noticed that a few of my friends have been saying that I don't seem to be really excited when I talk about being here. Well, for one, I use to live here. I know what to expect, I know what's around me. [This was most common in 東京. In 大阪 it's a little different b/c it's a new place] Second, I've pretty much done what I wanted to do and that was just to get here. I do enjoy being here in 日本, however. Being here instills the idea that I want to keep traveling. I'm going to keep going with my teaching degree and continue to try traveling. I've only seen so much of the world and I want to be able to see all of it. That's my goal and that's what I plan on doing.*

十七：Mini Adventure

So, my day started like most of my days here; kind of late in the afternoon or beginning of the evening. I woke up early and was contemplating going out early to do some light exploring, but that plan fell through when I figured Shuu would be waking up soon. Many hours later [ XD ] he finally got up. I went out to buy some snacks while he got ready and I kind of regret it. I bought this drink that contained a days worth of vitamins, this purple fruits and vegetable thing, this awkward ice cream candy that was individually packages * that was the appeal*, and 男のビックル, which translates to, I kid you not, "Man Bikkle". Do the research on that one. ;D The vitamin drink was ok. Had a very sour after taste. The purple fruit juice felt like it was burning my inside. The ice cream was..... unique. I put it away for later. XD The ビックル, in my opinion was one of the worst drinks I had that day. I chugged it, which was a stupid thing to do *not listening to Shuu again* and I literally died for like 2 hours. XD

*Man Bikkle*

*A days worth of vitamins*

Though it was getting late, it didn't deter our original plan that had been pushed off several times; we were still going to 心斎橋. I had read up on the place and I was excited/ kind of knowing what to expect, which explains why I wasn't incredibly surprised when I saw everything. It was still fun though. I had an ulterior motive for wanting to go there, but that ended up in failure. I still had fun though. I think I might go back one more time to be a total tourist XDD When we got to the station to go back, there were selling this drink called そば茶. That was just awful. It smelled like cocoa and coffee, but it tasted like tea and coffee and it was very gross. I could barely finish it. I think that drink makes it into the top 5 worst things I've had to drink while ever in Japan. XDD After that, we headed to CoCo's *a curry house that I use to love going to back on Oki* and it was awesome. I missed CoCo's so much. Many great memories of that place. I don't think that will be the last time I eat there before we head back to the US. Then, we headed to LAWSON and bought some ice cream and these ナルト candies that cost like ￥399 and only had 4 pieces of candy in them. XD I don't care. I'm a hardcore fan either way. XD

十六：焼肉や

So, around 6pm, we finally went out to find somewhere to eat. Since I was tired of choosing the places and constantly regretting it, I decided to let Shuu choose a place this time. We settled on a 焼肉 place just down the street. It seemed pretty cool and was a little fancy. Once inside, it was semi crowded, but still had enough room to accommodate the two of us. We sat down at the bar, that had a grilling plate on it and ordered some food. The prices were a little high, but we were willing to make an exception since this was a cook your own food place hahaha. I think the waitress was new b/c she seemed to be messing up a little bit and just didn't seemed to be very experienced with what she was doing. We got the majority of our food *she missed one bowl of rice I had ordered, but I didn't really care* and got ready to pay. I thought I had calculated everything correctly, but maybe I was off. :/ The final bill came out to be around ￥7,000. Not what I had expected, but that's ok.

We ended buying some food at Family Mart again XD We headed back and watched the Matrix Reloaded in 日本語 and that was it for the day.

Tomorrow's another day...

十四、十五：何もと何か

Short entry for today :P

Day 14:

Well, nothing really happened today. :/ I had waken up early b/c I thought we might go out and do something. To my horror, the shower didn't have any running hot water. O_O Yeah, it was very short and very cold. XD Anyways, after that, I went to Family Mart to buy some food and snacks for the remainder of the day and the nest few days. Then, I sat around try to think of something to do. Around 4, Shuu finally woke up and the remainder of the day was spent watching TV and planning what to do the next day. We had planned to go to 心斎橋 the following day, so it was just left to what we would do the remainder of that day. We decided to try and find a カラオケ place. We went out and along the way we found this place that had a giant DVD sign on the door. We figured, "Hey... why not?" We went inside and found out that it was nothing but cheap dirty movies *most under $10* and sex toys. It was very lul worthy. I took pics. XDD

*Beware: Don't touch anything. You might catch the AIDS*

*Obviously this place is making business*

*I lul everytime I see this pic*

Just a few seconds down the street, we found the カラオケ place, but it was shady and the building itself was really shady. Plus, it was closed. :/ We ended up just walking about and trying to figure out a place to eat. We settled on this お好み焼き place that was attached to the place we are in. It was pretty good and the CHU-HI's they had were really good. The only downside is that at a お好み焼き place, you make your own on the grill in front of you, which is what we had, but they made it for us and just place it on the grill, while it was heating :/ I was a little disappointed, but it was still pretty good. Afterward, we bought some snacks b/c the food really wasn't enough and headed back for the night.

*If they ever sold this in the US, I would buy cases upon cases of this drink. It's that good*

Day 15:

Well, today, we were supposed to go to 心斎橋 but instead, the day was spent *like most of the days here* just kind of hanging around the apt. Shuu was awake earlier than usual *before me* and was using the computer. I turned on the TV and, low and behold, ラストフレンズ was on. *It's this drama I was watching in Tokyo about some people who have some serious issues* It turns out, they were having a marathon of all the episodes leading up to the final episode that evening. Yeah.... We ended up staying in all day watching the drama and waiting for the finale. XDDD After that was over *around 11pm* we decided to try a カラオケ adventure again. Shuu was a little hesitant b/c the trains shut down at midnight and he was worried that, if this plan failed like the last one, we would end up walking back again. That was a bad thing because the カラオケ place this time was in なんば. It's not that it was far, it was just we didn't know how to get back from there. : P I didn't really care b/c I just wanted to go out and do something. So, after riding the trains for about 15 mins, we arrived in なんば and the カラオケ place *it was called ジャンから* was just about a min from the station. We decided to do the free time, which is pay a set price for however many hours the place has for カラオケ. The free time slot was from 11-6 am and we had just gotten there around 12am. So....

We カラオケ'd till 5am. XD It was definitely an experience. It got really intense towards the end of the night. The songs were getting more hardcore and the screaming was almost non-stop. XDD We finally decided to bail and we headed back to 谷町四丁目 to buy some breakfast and sleep. We went to 7-11, where we got some money for the next few days and bought some instant 沖縄そば. It was very awesome. I stayed up till about 6am and decided to bail for the day.

So, I'm not sure what's planned right now, but I'm still wanting to go to 心斎橋 and 京都, and so forth. So, since it's only about 6pm now, maybe we'll head out and do something. I'll update with our adventures again later. So, until then.... Later!

十一、十二、十三：さよなら東京．．． Pt. 2

Day 12

This was our final day in 東京 and we had some errands to run before it was too late. We head to 原宿 first. Shuu had to get a T-Shirt for his friend, Yama, and I had to get a ring for Kamil. Before heading down 竹下通り, we ran into one of the foreign guys from the concert. It was a real surprise. It wasn't the last time we would see him that day though. We saw him leaving when we first went in, again when we were coming back down the street to do my errand, and one more time when we were heading to the station. It's been a running joke of mine that he would just show up out of nowhere to surprise us. XD Anyways, we headed to DEATH TRAP ID first, where they were selling the DALI T-shirt that Yama wanted. An unexpected surprise was the ticket to shake hands and have a picture with Dali at one of their lives while we were still Japan. Shuu died a little on the inside. I lul'd. Afterward, I bought a pretty cool looking ring for Kamil. *not as sharp as mine, but it gets the point across* along with some pants chains.

*Entrance to SexPot Revenge.... Gotta love it*

After that was done with, we tried to figure out what else to do that day. We ended up going to a shrine in the area, which was really cool. I bought an お守りfor one of my coworkers and that was it for 原宿.

*Entrance to the Shrine*

*Sake Barrels*

*I think we were supposed to do this first...*

Afterward, we went to 池袋 to go to Ice Cream City in サンシャインシティー. It was a part of this place called Namjatown, which was this mini theme park thing. It was really cool. In Ice Cream City, we mainly went to the cup area, where they had the "unique" flavors. Shuu bought Sugar Cane and Rose flavored ice cream.

*Rose flavored Ice Cream*

I bought Deep Sea Vanilla and Sunflower flavored ice cream.

*Sunflower flavored Ice Cream*

The sunflower was.... different. It was very chewy b/c of the sunflower seeds and tasted like sunflower oil. Next, I ate the Deep Sea Vanilla. It was very, very sweet, which was awesome. However.... the after taste was..... uhmmm.... well, it tasted like salty sea water. You live up to your name Deep Sea Vanilla. Hats off to you.

*First Ice Cream Exhibit*

*Second Ice Cream Exhibit*

*Squid Ice Cream*

*Octopus Ice Cream*

*Indian Curry Ice Cream*

Afterward, we did this spy game, which we failed horribly on, mainly b/c of the ones that had questions. After that, I did this alien thing, which I only half understood. I got 29 out of 40, so I must have been doing something right. XD After getting lost and basically exploring the remainder of the area, we finally met up and GTFO'd. It was a good ending to our trip.

*Relaxation area of the place*

Day 13

I got up around 9am and started to get ready to head out. To my surprise, Shuu was already awake. We got ready, cleaned up a little, said our final good byes and left. It was such a pain trying to get to get to the 新幹線. To my surprise, my backpack was very heavy :/ The CDs and other stuff really weighed it down. We arrived on time *actually early* and waited for our ride. We rode the のぞみ to 新大阪 which took about 2 and a half hours. It was really cool watching the scenery pass by. It also didn't feel like we were going 300 km/hr. We arrived in 新大阪 and transferred over to 大阪駅. Then we took the 地下鉄 to our new hotel, which was only a little further than 目白. When we finally entered our room we were super surprised. IT WAS HUGE!! It was an actual mini apartment. We had separate rooms, a bigger bathroom, a TV/ VCR, and a table! XD We got settled and explored some of the area. Essentially, that was the end of the day.

*My Room*

*Shuu's Room*

*Where the washer should be*

*Not just a toilet...*

*But also a sink!!!*

And so, another day is today. Until next time, Later!

十一、十二、十三：さよなら東京．．． Pt. 1

Ok, so continuing where I left of in my last entry:

Later that day, we went to the live that Elec was playing at. Shuu, being the usual self he is, slept in... again. He woke up almost an hour till the live started. :/ After getting ready, we made a quick escape and headed towards the live. We considered the advice that Elec had given us about taking another train to get to the live, but after a while, we figured it would be better to take a more well known path.

We moved quickly to the live house as soon as we departed 浦和駅, which was not that far actually. We got our tickets and fliers and moved in. Lucky for us, they had just started as the intro music for them had just ended...

LAVERITE: This is the band that Elec is in. They were pretty awesome. It was hard to imagine them playing without a bassist *Elec* in the past. However, they didn't have a drummer, so it kind of took away from the performance. Elec was doing pretty awesome, acknowledging the audience, smiling. It was pretty awesome. RYOTA, at first, didn't seem too into it at first, but towards the end of the performance, he started to open up. It would have been nice to see some of the energy he had at the end of the act at the beginning as well. 結絵, at first to me, seemed to be pulling a MANA/ KISAKI, where he looked serious most of the time, but, like RYOTA, towards the end of the performance, the energy seemed to show. It would be nice to see more energy from them. Be excited! You have an audience! :) and work on getting that drummer. hahaha ★★★★½

DIZ: This was a VK band. They seemed kind of generic and the singer was just plain creepy to me. The guitarist seemed to be the most unique. He was definitely kind of big. Which stood out, but that didn't detract from how he played. However, the band as whole seemed really generic and THAT is not a good thing. ½☆☆☆☆

OZxBONE: Wow.... just, wow. They were a "Metal/ VK" band. They were kind of poppy, but wow.... were they unique. The vocalist also played guitar so it was definitely a rare sight. The seemed kind of sloppy as far as stage performance *they seemed to kind to run into each other when they switched sides on the stage*, but they weren't that bad. It was definitely an interesting sight. ★★★☆☆

ATOMIC TORNADO: Another "Metal/ VK" band, however, I think they were definitely leaning on the Metal side, look and sound wise. When I first saw the vocalist, I was wondering why he was wearing a poncho. XD Anyways, the first song was ehh.... but the 2nd and 3rd song were actually really good. They did have one downside though; if the vocalist didn't talk in between songs and I was blind, I could have sworn it was an angry chick singing. XDDD ★★★☆☆

DENIAL: They weren't that bad. They looked really young and I wondered why there was the absence of a bassist, while there was a bass on the stage... Anyways, they said it was their last live, so I just stood there and tried to figure out why the bass was so important. It turns out, that the band did have a bassist, but he wasn't there. :/ Still trying to figure it out. Oh well, they did a good set for their last live. Good luck to them wherever they go/ do. ★★★☆☆

uNruSt: A lot of people seemed to be there for them, but they seemed kind of generic/ annoying to me. I really can't remember any of their songs, but I do remember the fact that the vocalist kept looking at me; trying to get me to participate, but I didn't want to. However, he just kept persisting and that was seriously annoying. I couldn't wait till they got off stage. ☆☆☆☆☆

Pack's Hidetora STARGAZER: They were a session band *people from different bands playing together* made up of people I really didn't know about. They did pretty well, which explains why they were last and had the biggest crowd. The did a cover of HYBRID RAINBOW by the pillows and it was really good. If they became an actual band, I might actually give them a listen. ★★★★☆

After the live, we said goodbye to the other foreigners that were there and Elec. It was a pretty good live. Probably one of the better lives I've been to here...

Afterward, we headed for DENNYS, which by the way, is really not that appealing. I had been there on my last trip for breakfast. However, this time, we were there for dinner and it was just not that good. They should just stick to breakfast only. :/ We ended up going back to 椎名町 and just getting something else to eat.

七、八、九、十日：特別スペシャル！

I've been slacking on my updates, so I really need to try and keep up with Shuu. XD So, let's start!

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Day 7:

Today was『裏★海賊盤。』005発売記念イベント Day! We had sort of planned in advance to attend this show, but not really. I think on the 4th day we had reserved some tickets to see this concert. We were originally planning on going to this アングラ系 live in 名古屋, but that fell through after we found out how much it would cost to go there for the day and come back. *I'll give you a hint: It's very, very expensive from where we are :/* So, we hopped on the train and headed over to 高田馬場 to find AREA where the concert was being held. It wasn't that hard to find, nor was it too far from the station. There was a sort of medium sized theater sign that said the name of the live house, so that made it really easy. As we approached the place, we noticed that the entrance was just stairs leading down into the basement and that there was already a line of ladies waiting to get in. We stalled for a few minutes to save ourselves from awkwardness, but eventually gave in and stood in line. When everyone started to whip out there tickets, I knew we were in trouble. We had never really done a reservation before and we had no idea where the tickets came from. So, we ended up letting all the people behind us go in and stay behind to ask some other attendees where to pick up tickets. Apparently, there was a table just down the stairs out of sight where you pick up the tickets. :/ After we got that straightened out, we purchased yet ANOTHER drink fee that we didn't use *I really hate those ><* and headed inside. The live didn't start for another half hour so we stalled. When the time came, the lights dimmed to off and the curtains opened...

DELUHI: I had previously downloaded one of there albums and it was pretty good, so I had sort of an idea of what they sounded like. However, when that were on stage they impressed me quite a bit. Heavy, dark, and I think the guitarist was pretty awesome acting all crazy insane XD. The songs were solid and it was great seeing them live. ★★★★½

カル・ヴァリ: There was just something about them that wasn't right. Everyone seemed to be doing their own thing *look wise*. The bassist was pretty cool, but that was about it. I'd try to explain what they were like, but I just can't seem to remember :/ ★☆☆☆☆

Like Absolute Myself: Uhmmm.... I had a really hard time just remember who the hell this band was XD That should give you a hint as to what I think of them. ½☆☆☆☆

Zip.er: I had heard from Shuu that his friend Yama had told him in advance that there was nothing good that would come from this band. Naturally, I only half listened and decided to give them a shot. Wow.... I was very wrong. As soon as the singer came out on stage I thought "What the hell is Miku from An Cafe doing here?!" Upon a closer look, I noticed it wasn't him. But damn, was it close. One of the guitarist also looked like カノン from the same band. I tuned them out after seeing that. The one thing about them that creeped me out the most was the fact that the bassist kept looking at me. It was really uncomfortable and I was seriously hoping they would finish soon. >< ☆☆☆☆☆

vistlip: Hmmmm.... The guitarist looked pretty cool and they all matched look wise, but there was something about them that didn't sit well with me. Maybe it was the singer's need for everyone to cheer almost every moment he wasn't singing or that their songs seemed to be, for the same of a better word, "generic". I'm not sure what it is, but it's not a good thing... ★☆☆☆☆

愛狂います。: The final band to go on and the highlight of the show. I had been listening to their music for a while, so I was really looking forward to seeing them. They were nothing like the pictures, but that made them no less awesome. The singer was crazy, but that made them interesting to watch. I tried keeping up with all the hand movements, but I fell a little short. Definitely would like to see them again someday. :) ★★★★★

After the concert, we headed over to a CD store and bought the new アジカン mini album. Needless to say, the album was awesome. I think everyone should buy it.... Yes.... BUY IT NOW!!! XD

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Day 8

Such a boring day... I woke up around 12 and was just using the internet *trying to catch up on my マンガ/ アニメ* Shuu finally got around to getting ready, but by then, it was late afternoon. :/ So, we went out to eat and being the person that I am, I wanted to try something new. We went to this place called わたみん家. I thought it was a grill place where you cook your own food, but once we went in, we found that it was not like that at all... It was a place that specialized in やきとり, one of my favorite Japanese foods, but it was terribly expensive. So, we got something small, paid the bill, which was kind of high considering what we bought and went down to the AM/PM and Family Mart to buy something else to eat. Afterward, we walked down to 目白 to find a LAWSONS to we could buy some アジカン tickets.............. That didn't happen because they were 完成 with the tickets sales for the venue we wanted to go to.............................................................. I'm still a little mad, but I've chilled out a bit. I bought some マンガ to ease the rage. XD Then, I bought a few bottles and alcohol and headed back. マンガ and 酒. What an awesome combo! XD

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Day 9

"Seriously, this lounging around has to stop!" I thought. So, I got up early, got ready, and left a note for Shuu stating that I had gone to the JUMP Shop in 水道橋, which was in 東京ドームシティ *one of my favorite cities here in Tokyo* The way to get there was awful however. I hadn't been there in years and now I had to find a way to get there again. I had Google mapped it the night before, but I had no idea how to buy a ticket for the 丸ノ内線 *which I learned later, that I could have bought a ticket for that stop right at the station I departed from XD* So, instead, I paid the extra fee and ride the 中央線. Once at the station, I made my way into the Tokyo Dome shopping area in the attempt to find the store. There was something going on that day *I think it was a fashion show* but I didn't pay too much attention to it. I made my way to where the store was but.... it wasn't there anymore. O_O There was a map/ note on the door that said they had moved to the other side of the area, but I misread the map and ended up walking around the building. X## After a while of walking, I found out that they had just moved down the street. *Only about 2 mins away actually XD* I don't need to explain how awesome the store was. *If you're a Shounen Jump fan, you will love this store* I had to restrain myself from letting the store rape my wallet again. XDD Once I finished with that, I headed back to 椎名町 and got back to the room. Shuu was awake by then and was online. He saw the bags and immediately asked, "So.... buy any manga?" My response was "Uhhhmmmmmmm........ no" XDDDD Good Day. Later, that evening, we headed out to grab something to eat. I made the mistake of suggesting we try something new. So, we went to McDonalds and bought...... メガタマゴ！I died a little bit on the inside after eating that. It was the first time in years I had eaten at McDonalds, let alone a hamburger. It was..... just awful. We'll never speak of it again.

*The Set [which cost about 600 yen]*

*The sandwich [enough to make even Satan want to vomit]*

*Shuu attempting to stomach the damn thing*

Day 10

We were supposed to meet Elec in 池袋 at 3 that day, so we got ready and headed out around 3pm. *It was one station away XD* We kind of got lost when we got there, but once we remembered where to meet, we found it quickly and in no time we met up. We headed over to Tokyu Hands *this dept. store with A LOT of interesting items* and just chatted as we browsed around. We then headed to Brand X, which was really not that interesting actually. :/ It was like 自主盤 + Flower Records combined. Though they had some rare stuff, it was all still full price. So, we headed to Closet Child 池袋 again. We browsed, talked about bands, and bought some things *my smallest bill at Closet child to date: ￥1,700 * Afterward, we headed to Shakey's Pizza and.... bought Pizza, duh.

*The famous pizza from Elec's page*

XD We must have talked for a good 2 hours while we were there, but it was great. A lot of stories, experiences, etc. It was a really good night. Afterward, we headed back to the station where we went our separate ways. We'll be seeing him again though tomorrow for his concert in 埼玉. It will be fun.... but now comes the problem.... this is our last night in the hotel. We need to find a place to go....

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Day 11 (Today)

I woke up this morning to my alarm going off *which I ignored* followed by the phone ringing. I got up and answered the phone and found out that it was the front desk asking when we were heading down to check out. To my surprise, it was 2 minutes till check out. O_O I asked if there was any way we could extend our stay 2 more nights and I was put on hold. Half asleep, confused, and using choppy Japanese, I was really hoping that the guy would be able to extend our stay. Luckily, he did and we didn't have to pay too much *3150 per person for each night* I said thanks and he asked when I would be down to pay. I said I'd be ready in about half an hour and that was that. I sat on the side of the bed half asleep, when Shuu woke up and asked what had happened. I explained the situation and it was pretty awesome. Awesome enough for him to go back to sleep. XD

So, today, we're going to 埼玉 to see Elec play and just hang out there for a little bit. I'll be sure to report on that tonight or tomorrow morning. Until then.... Later!

六日：別に．．．

So, today was relatively laid back. We really didn't do anything *to be more precise, we didn't go anywhere* We stayed in 椎名町 the whole day. It was spent watching TV, using the internet to find lives and info on some bands, and so forth. We ate at なか卯 again, went to AM PM for some snacks, and the 7-11 we finally found that was like just down the street. The only thing I bought there was green tea, ASAHI beer in a tiny-as-hell can, and green tea alcohol. The last two were just too nasty for me to stomach, so I ended up dumping it. Seemed like a waste. :/ Oh well.

*So nasty...*

*It made this taste better somehow though... o_O*

*Just another reason why I love Japan... and it was right downstairs!*

Tomorrow, we going to another live/ buying the new アジカン mini album that's coming out. I'm looking forward to both very much. Will write again later with an update for that, so..... yeah... Later.

三と四 + Bonus [五]

*Yummy peach drink with Peach chunks!*

So, I figured it's about time for another over view of what happened on Day 3 and 4

Day 3

The day started usual enough. We woke up around 1pm and were trying to think of things to do. Shuu was looking on a music site to see what concerts we could attend in the future and saw that there was one concert the same day. Being me, I asked "Well, who is it?" Turns out, it was a band called 遺伝子組換こども会 *an アングラ系 band that was really cool to listen to* and ゴールデンボンバー *Not sure what the hell they were XD*. I hadn't heard of either of the bands prior to that day, so I was a little anxious, but not completely ready to go. The live was at 6, so we decided to head out around 3:30 to ensure ourselves that we got to the area just in case we got lost.... again. Sure enough, we did get sort of lost. *We ended up bailing on the train and just walking to the next station* However, we made it there and with one hour left to spare. When we got there, it was very apparent that:

1.) We were the only guys there.

2.) We were the only foreigners.

It was very awkward; especially the wait. That was probably the worst part. However, 6pm came around and it was ready to go inside. We paid for our tickets *2800 yen a piece* got our 配布 *concert CDs* and useless drink tickets, then went inside. The place was very, very small. I think there was only about 50 people there.

Thoughts:

こども会 was really cool to listen to. That day was the first time I had ever heard of them and they were pretty good. The skits that they did were pretty funny as well. The final skit at the end was also really funny. Awkward. But funny. They're one of my top favorite bands now XD ★★★★★

ゴールデンボンバー was..... uhmmm..... yeah. They were something. They had a few good songs, but the thing about them was that only the vocalist and the guitarist did anything. There was a bassist and drummer but they didn't actually do anything but pretend to play the instruments. :/ The bassist, however, had a really cool outfit, so he's forgivable. XD The gag with this band was how the vocalist would kept saying "無料配布" *Free CD* every time the guitarist would finish his "solo" *which was basically handing out mini x-rays of the vocalists broken shoulder, drinking a blended McDonald's meal, having "sex" w/ a blow up doll, drinking pudding/ lemon juice concoction, and drinking a giant pudding thing XD* They were seriously weird. But, they were amusing. So, props to them. ★★★★☆

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Day 4

We were supposed to go to the Euphoria concert, but we had found out the day before that I wouldn't have enough money to cover the whole thing. *Shuu had run out of money and I was spotting him till we could find an ATM that would accept international cards* Turns out that same day, I had done some research and found that not only did the inner city Post Offices have ATMs that operated in the weekends, but the 7-11's also had international ATMs. What killed us was the fact that there was one only 5 mins away XD. So, after getting our money, we grabbed something quick to eat and did our Oki thing where we ate in front of the store.

*Normal bottle of orange juice... or is it....?*

*YAY!*

The experience was pretty cool, until a cat decided to invade our space and watch us as we ate. Seriously, it just sat there and watched us. It was very creepy/ annoying. We hurried up and left. Since we finally had money again, and had missed the Euphoria concert, we decided to just go カラオケ in 池袋 Instead, we ended up CD shopping again for another 3+ hours XD

*What I got on the second + first day of CD shopping*

After FINALLY finishing that, we decided to カラオケ. We went to Big Echo, which is the popular カラオケ chain in Japan. We had initially decided to just go for 2 hours, but it ended up being a 4 hour deal XD Short version of the event. *Lots of screaming and lots of water XD*

Some bands we did were:

Ayabie 彩冷える
Dir en Grey *Vulgar and Prior*
Hime Ichigo 姫苺
An Cafe *before they became lame*
D
Phantasmagoria
Enter Shikari
Avenged Sevenfold
Maximum The Hormone

After we finally finished, we went to the counter to pay and found out that we had seriously miscalculated the price for カラオケ. The bill was 9,400 something. *$90 O_O* Simply put, we'll be sticking to the hours we stated from now on and try to keep away from Big Echo. <- We later remembered that the chain itself was really expensive. Later in the evening, we decided to grab something to eat *it was like 2 am now* so we went to なか卯 *The place from the other day* I wasn't all that hungry since I had bought some 弁当 from Family Mart a few hours before. When we got there, I was feeling a little daring decided to try something new. [Note: Whenever I try something new, it almost never goes right. XD] I had seen this program on 納豆 earlier that day was thinking "Hey.... Not a lot of people like this stuff. I wonder why..." I only half regret eating that stuff. It smelled awful and it tasted equally bad.

*It actually looked a lot better before I added the Soy Sauce XDD*

After that experience, I had to buy some candy and something to drink to get the taste out of my mouth. XD

*Mmmmm.... Green Tea Ice Cream*

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=BONUS=

*Japanese KFC Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich*

Day 5

Yesterday, we decided to try our luck in finding flower records *This rare CD store that has a lot of 配布 from bands* Getting there wasn't that bad really. In fact, it was really easy to find. The problem wad the store itself, which was the small room, packed with boxes of CD and stuff. It was very, very, very packed. It was hard to move and it just seemed like you shouldn't be touching anything b/c either 1.) it's dirty or 2.) it will collapse on you. XD Apparently, there were a few rarz there, so Shuu bought one thing and I bought another and we left. To make up for the experience, we went to Like an Edison *another CD store, which wasn't all that spectacular* and the last Closet Child in Tokyo. [Note: For those of you who don't know what Closet Child is, it's a CD store that sells a lot of awesome/ rare CDs in Tokyo and has been raping our wallets for the last 3 days XD] After leaving there, with yet another bag of CDs, we headed to a ラーメン place to grab something quick to eat. Shuu got 醤油ラーメン *Soy Sauce Ramen* and I got おもちラーメン *Mochi ramen* After that, we headed back and that was basically it.

And now, we come to today... What will we do now...? Will update again later!