Yikes! I haven’t written anything during the month of May yet. I’m sorry, everyone! Aside from very few trips, I really haven’t been doing much of anything that isn’t reading, writing, or going to school.

Golden Week was Thursday, April 29 through Wednesday, May 6. Golden Week is a bunch of single holidays that happen to fall one day after another, so people get a week off from work and school. On Friday of the start of Golden Week, Chloe, Kay, and I went to a bar by the station and had ourselves a little drinking party with a few Japanese friends. Alcohol is pretty watered down here, but Chloe and I had a proper amount of Nihonshuu (sake) STRAIGHT, and took an equivalent of a double shot of whiskey to help ourselves along. We got pretty trashed, but we managed to get home before curfew. Yes, I know, a drag. But we can have alcohol in our rooms, so we continued the party in Kay’s room.

My initial plan for Golden Week was to try to attend J’s fanclub only concert. I wandered out to Ebisu on May 4th, hoping to find someone with an extra ticket. These two girls came over to me (I was holding a sign cuz I was too scared to approach people) and told me that they had a list of names that they would be checking. I was sad, but there was another band that I like that was having a concert. So I wondered over to Shibuya, got properly lost, but some nice guy helped me find the venue. Turns out it was a sort of music fest thing with about 10 bands, and the band I wanted to see didn’t play until 6:30. I found this out at 2:30, and there is no re-entry. D:

It was worth it, even if I didn’t really care for some of the music. They were all indie bands, some of whom where pretty damn good. But Japanese people don’t seem to know how to get into music. First of all, the standing area was hardly full at all. I think the most people on the floor at one time was MAYBE 60 people, if that. Mostly everyone stood in the back and kind of bobbed their heads.

When my band came on, I was up front, rocking out! Singing along, fist pumping, head banging, you know! Showing that I enjoyed the music. During a small break between songs, I glanced behind me and there was about 20 feet of space between me and the next person. It was ridiculous! Like, why pay the $30 to go if you’re not gonna get into the music. It was kind of disappointing in that way, but oh well.

I got to meet a couple of the band members, who I assume are probably the two that respond to my myspace messages. It was pretty sweet cuz one of the members who approached me said, “You’re Liz, right?” Aww! I like being recognized and remembered. Heee! I talked to them for a while, and it turns out that the lead singer is from Seattle, based out of Bremerton. SMALL WORLD.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get any good pictures from that night. But it was a blast!

The weather turned ugly for the rest of the couple days I had off, so I spent most of my time reading and writing.

Two Mondays ago, the 11th, the other American girls and I went to Harajuku to eat some crapes and hang out. Chloe and I wandered over to Yoyogi park, which is a superbly magical place. Hidden inside is a Shinto shrine. Because we went on a Monday, there was hardly anyone there. It was beautiful, and magical, as if you could feel the spirit of nature in the air. Ah, I want to live there.

Entrance to Yoyogi Park. Gates are HUGE!

Stream inside Yoyogi park.

The walkways in Yoyogi park are huge! And the trees are AWESOME.

Entrance to the shrine. Before you enter the shrine, there’s a little area where you pour water over your hands to purify yourself.

Buildings inside the shrine. The sunset was AWESOME.

You can buy these pieces of wood to write down your wishes, then place them in front of a tree.

The main building where you pray.

Shintoism seems like a very interesting and intriguing religion. I’m definitely going to do some research on the topic to add to my writing.

Like I said before, aside from these two little trips, I haven’t been up to much of anything. However, tonight is Shana’s birthday, so we are going to go celebrate by getting properly drunk.

Saturday, I’m meeting who I am going to refer to as “my foster family.” Through the school and the city, people who decide to participate are matched up with families in the area who (I assume) have kind of the same interests that you wrote down on the application form. I really don’t know what to expect. Chris met his family last weekend and said that they were totally awesome. I’m hoping that my family will be awesome too! It’ll be a good opportunity to practice what Japanese I do know.

Sunday, Chloe and I are going to go to Odaibo, which is THE hangout place for couples and stuff. Mostly I’m interested in seeing the rainbow bridge at night.

Next Sunday, the 31st, Chloe and I are going to go on a rave cruise. Four decks of DJs, food included in the price of the ticket (about $45), and the ship cruises around Tokyo for three hours. Should be a blast! Expect more posts and pictures soon!!