Miho is 22! (0)

10:51 PM by Ren , under , , ,



Friday was Miho's 22nd birthday and, in her words, her last birthday as a student. We went out to lunch in the Meguro district of town to a Korean restaurant very near the offices I worked at. I had been to this place with coworkers and really loved it, however, this time I had them give me the maximum level of spiciness and it ruined my meal. It was so hot that when Miho took a small bite she began coughing! My tongue burned so bad and became very tender. I ended up mixing it with a lot of rice to tone down the spice but it was still almost unbearable.

I tried to eat it as it was served



...It made me cry...



So I had to mix it with my rice



We then walked over to Tokyo Tower and had dessert at the top! I also gave Miho the watch I bought for her.


Tokyo Tower



A view from the top



Tokyo Tower Cheesecake is good!



That night her volleyball team was celebrating winning a small tournament so I tagged along and partied with them. (I almost didn't go because the spicy food in my stomach made me feel sick) Of course it was a "nomihoudai" (all you can drink). Her teammates even surprised her with a cake!




Pictures from the photo-booth



PS: I am back in California on July 29th



edit post

The President of China, Retro Party, and Disneyland (0)

10:54 PM by Ren , under , , , ,



Earlier this month the Japanese Prime Minister and the Chinese president met on the campus of my University causing buzz felt across the nation. They discussed the importance of friendly relations between the two nations and also played some ping-pong for the cameras. It had been ten years since a Chinese president visited Japan.

Protesters gathered in large numbers primarily in opposition of China's policy towards Tibet. There was also a presence of China supporters.

You can read more about the event by clicking here.





On May 2nd some friends hosted a 70s and 80s themed party that was really fun. I really had no idea what I could wear so I cheated and wore a 90s outfit based on the rappers Kris Kross. Justin actually went out and bought his outfit for the party and scored this dandy suit straight from the 70s.



The party was great and there were so many people there. I loved how retro it was and I was also happy that people understood the reason for my backwards clothes.







Wow!



Another night Justin and I were walking home and we saw a bunch of people partying at the finish line of a long distance run so we joined them. Since at this run some people dressed in weird costumes, Justin decided to go put on his "Koosh-suit". His friends that visited him in January brought it for him to wear in the Harajuku and Akihabara districts of town (where people dress wild). He was a big hit and we had lots of fun.

Ready to start the night



A quick stop at the grocery store with its cardboard cop



Approaching the partiers



Let the show begin!



Nudity isn't legal, but crossdressing is



Tokyo Disneyland





Last Wednesday Miho and I went to Disneyland. It is different from Disney Sea, the other Disney park in Tokyo. Supposedly it is very similar to the Disneyland in Los Angeles. We had a lot of fun and we were in the front row for every ride! The biggest disappointment was that the nightly fireworks were canceled due to wind.


Splash Mountain



People waited in the sun for over an hour for a parade
I hear they do this in the USA too





Getting Fast-Passes



The Green Tea / Vanilla mixed ice cream was the best I have ever had



3D Time



Dinner



Riding Dumbo





Yesterday I called a hotel in the US and was appalled at the service I got on the phone. The lady I was talking to gave a big yawn into the phone and when I asked what bus line stops at that hotel she simply said "I don't know" instead of saying something like "let me find out for you". I might be too used to the spectacular Japanese customer service. Here you are called "master", or if they know your name they might call you "master Ren".


The biggest, and littlest hands in Tokyo





edit post