Japan Journals: Parts 10 through 12 of 35.

6/3/2008
9:00 a.m. - why are we awake?

Sensei told us all this morning at breakfast that she knew we'd be up at 5am, even though we swore we'd sleep in. Now I'm exhausted again! Jet lag is intense.

We're getting ready to go to orientation, and then go shopping in Tenri. For breakfast we had rice with fish seasoning, pickled daikon, miso soup with mussels, and green tea. I'm... eating cookies and a bottle of water from Chicago now.



6/3/2008
12:05 p.m. - pickled plums

Had lunch of rice, yama-something (a veggie from the mountains), and Japanese tuna salad. Pickled plums are gross, and a Japanese guy called me cute.



6/3/2008
10:14 p.m. - on the floor again

It's just about bedtime--gotta get up at six for breakfast, and class starts at eight. Today was AMAZING. After orientation and lunch, we went to the Tenrikyo church sanctuary, which was huge and fantastic. After a long tour there, two great guys from Tenri University named Kosuke and Yuffy took us all around Tenri. Bookstores, the shopping arcade, real Japanese ramen, the whole shebang.

Yuffy loved One Piece and took me to a 7-11, where I got volume fifty. But the best part was when Myra, Dr. Hughes, some guy (Cameron?) and I went to a karaoke bar with Kosuke and Yuffy. I drank melon ramune and sang Yes, Summerdays and Don't Stop Believin' and I had a BLAST. But now it's curfew, so...