Crazy Fun

So here is a quick rundown of what life has been like lately.

During Golden Week (May 3rd-6th), I went to Hiroshima City with my a Moldovan friend, who has a PHD. We went salsa dancing for a bit (I have some videos of him dancing with people), but then ended up heading outside for a bit. We went to a 7-11, got a carton of Sake, and then walked back. We decided to split it.

After nearly 2 hours of searching, we finally find our way back. Dr. Moldova is VERY drunk. The Salsa bar is closed, but the International Bar is still open. We went inside, and he started dancing some. He put his head on a table and just danced around some. Some drunken guys were encouraging him to dance more, but with some help, I got him to sit down. Then he passed out. I called the police, who called the hospital, who said that he was fine, but would take about 5 hours to recover and I had to stay with him. Apparently, if you're not dead, then the hospitals in Japan can't take you? I'm not sure.

So a police officer helped me carry Dr. Moldova to a park, where I waited for him to recover until runrise. We started walking around, searching for the bus or train station - but mostly just trying to find out where we were. I went to a 7-11, found out, and then headed to the train station. We got there, and he was fairly sober. I told him about some tents we had passed and how it was a shame that we couldn't go to the Hana Festival, since today was the last day and I had really wanted to go. He said that we should go, so we went to the area with the tents and fell asleep on some steps for a few hours.

We woke up about 7am, went to a 7-11. I got some coffee and a light snack while we waited for McDonalds to open. It finally did, and we went in and ate breakfast. Then we wandered around the Hana Festival, which was starting it's last day, and I got to get some ice and whatnot. I visited the Hiroshima Peace Park again, which was emotional (last time, I didn't really understand what it represented). Then we started looking for an electronic store, which we never found. Around 2pm, after nearly 2 hours of searching, we realized that the parade was probably over. I was really upset about this (still am)... but we got on a bus and headed back.

When we got back (we left May 4th, returned May 5th), I couldn't find my bike key. I had lost one previously, and now had lost the spare. I was very upset, and was forced to walk back home - which took about 30 minutes. It takes ~10 minutes by bike from that bus stop.

I searched my entire apartment, but no dice; I could not find the key. I was annoyed and upset. I started talking to my friend Momo, who suggested that if I am ever in Aichi (aka: Nagoya), I should visit her. She helped cheer me up and make my sleep deprived and bleek-feeling life seem somewhat better. We have a lot in common too, I found out. I sent off some emails and started asking about Aichi. One of my friends from college said that I could crash with him for free if I wanted. I asked him when, and he said that anytime would be fine, including this weekend, Steve.

Like fate, I was told shortly after that I had to head to Nagoya Castle (technically, a Japanese castle) for school, and write a report on it. It was like the world was telling me, "GO TO AICHI!" So I listened.

I started looking up information and Momo told me the ticket price - which seemed fairly cheap. I spent most of the day trying to figure out how to get to Aichi ASAP. Thursday, I talked to my Sensei, who helped me find cheaper tickets - in fact, cheaper than I was expecting. With that, it was decided that I was going to leave for Aichi tomorrow - giving me less than 24 hours to pack and leave. Momo made plans for us while I packed and notified Steve, who was happy to hear that I was coming.

Friday, I went to my last class, headed back home, took a bath, packed up some clothes, and then headed off to the bus stop. I took the bus to Hiroshima City, and from there, to Nagoya. I arrived around 6am Saturday morning. I took the trains to meet Steve. I ate breakfast, then headed off to meet Momo, who mailed me shortly after I arrived and told me to meet her an hour early. Steve tagged along and we met up with Momo. I took what I needed and let Steve take the rest back to his apartment - which he was very kind to do. I decided to keep my umbrella on me, just in case it suddenly started raining.

We got on our train and left to meet up with one of her friends named Saki. We went to a mall for a bit, then visited a temple. I had my fortune told - which was that my life is bad now, but it would get better soon. They said it was a "medium fortune."

Next, they took me to Nagoya Castle, which was pretty amazing. I enjoyed it. It was a lot bigger than I expected, and looked familiar, but I am not sure why (Akira Kurosawa film maybe?). I took a lot of video from it though, which will get on YouTube eventually. After that, we met up with one of Saki's friends named Chi, then headed to Mountain ("A legendary cafe called "Mountain" is serving various unprecedented dishes in Nagoya, Japan."). I got some Mexican food (Fried Rice & Doritos topped with Salsa = Mexican, according to Japan), Momo got a sweet drink, Chi got some sort of Spaghetti soup (it had azukian [Red Bean Paste] in it), and Saki got a giant icy - Goya flavored. We all shared, though everyone agreed that mine was the best.

Next, I headed to the train and went back to Steve's apartment. He drew a map for me, but wrote it for going to the bus stop, rather than coming back from it (which defines which side of the road you are on). I took about 30 minutes before I realized that the directions were wrong, another 30 to get back, and then another 30 to get to his apartment. He apologized, though I wasn't too upset about it. We ate some fried tempura tofu with rice (best description I can think of). It was pretty good.

The next day, I visited Momo again, and she wanted to introduce me to her mom. So I went to her apartment and talked to them some. Her mother made Kitsune Udon (Udon topped with sweetened deep-fried tofu pockets [Aburaage]) - which was delicious - and then I headed back to Steve's place. We ate some rice and eggs, then went off to check out a couple of shrines and a temple. We got back to his apartment around Sunset. I watched The Vice Guide to North Korea on YouTube, and then showed him Persona 4 on GiantBomb.com. He made Udon Curry for dinner - which was pretty good.

Monday, I packed up and headed out. When I was about to leave, I found my bike key in the pocket of the pants I had just put on (cargo), which made me very happy. I wandered around Nagoya for a bit, and ate at Mos Burger for the first time (Delicious, but messy). I ended up seeing Momo one last time before I left, which made me happy. We said our goodbyes and then I headed off to the bus station.

I waited there for an hour, and ended up talking to a girl named Yuki, who goes to Ehime University. She helped me figure out which bus was mine. We ended up talking about America, my life in Japan, and what brought me to Nagoya. I got on my bus and headed back to the Hiroshima City. I got back an hour later than my ticket said, and ended up missing my first class because of it.

I felt better after getting back, and got a lot of videos for YouTube out of it. Now I just have to write that paper...