I Chose You!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021650&id=1230390045&l=7d04beda4e

Pictures of my Halloween activities....which was actually done on October 30th for reasons I never found out but didn't really care.

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Getting to Yoyogi Park was harder than it should have been as there was another suicide-caused delay on the trains. Although I can't read what the sign boards are saying but when all the text is orange and red in an ominous way, I know what it means. It's very very very discomforting. A lot of people have reduced it to "another loser jumped in front of the train again."

I wish people were more respectful.

But anyway, the trains were incredibly slow due to this and my friends and I were stuck waiting about 20 minutes per stop before moving forward. We started talking with a woman on the train who has been an English teacher in Japan for the last 13 years and she was able to help us get on to the train that would get us to Shibuya. She made a slight error though, so we ended up doing a lot of train hopping, as I would call it. We made it there eventually and the rest of the evening went smoothly.

So yes. I was a Pikachu. Everywhere I went, people would either do the following:

A) Try to stealthily take pictures with their cellphones of me and my friends (who were also wearing costumes) but their cover was blown by the fact that it makes the shutter sound. FAIL.

B) Actually ask to take my picture - this Japanese girl came up to me and asked me in English if she could and of course, I didn't mind. I sort of asked for it really.

C) Stare (as usual) but this time, trying hard not to but just doing it anyway.

D) Say, "Oh! Pikachu!" to which I didn't really know what to respond. I would just sort of wave and smile at them and fortunately, they did the same thing back to me with great enthusiasm.

E) Talk about me as if I couldn't hear them to only have me turn around and wave at them. Once they got over the surprise of me hearing them, they were nice enough to wave and smile back.

A couple of business men came up to my group of friends and asked us "trick or treat!" We had no candy and they were very disappointed but at least very amused with our costumes.

It was a good night.

I'm going to a concert tomorrow for Abingdon Boys School, Do as Infinity, and HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR (the first one is one of my favorite Japanese bands, the other two I like enough and have some of their music). By myself. It'll be an adventure. Just like every day.

Electric Rodents and More Examples of Native Response to Foreigners

I have my costume. I thought it was just a jacket. Oh no, it's the whole thing, like a one piece thing - and it fits! I was awfully surprised since I am not Japanese-sized. Anyway, I tried it on yesterday. I look like a big yellow blob of ridiculous...ness. My friends said it was cute.

I was running down the hallway in it without my slippers and as I got to my door, I totally slipped and fell. It was equal parts tragic and hilarious. I was trying to get to my room really fast so no one else would see me. I just laid on the floor for a bit laughing at myself before I snuck into my room and took the thing off.

Another little side note:

Apparently, I make people's day by just existing. Cat and I were on the way to the super market and this young Japanese guy with his big sunglasses and his host club hair (aka big and spiky and going everywhere). This guy was riding in the passenger side of someone's car and had his head all the way out the window to stare at us. (They're getting more bold at this game.) Cat and I just sort of stared back but then she made a peace sign at the guy. I started to wave. The guy in the car started waving frantically at us like we were best friends, with his arm all the way out of the window. It's things like that that make me just love this country.

But unfortunately, not everyone is so happy to see us. Cat and I were riding the train and these two boys (probably 13 and 10 years old) got onto the train. There were two seats next to me. The older one sat in the seat one over from me. The younger one started punching him and telling the older one to move over...because apparently, he didn't want to sit next to me. Whomp whomp. The older one obliged and moved over next to me.

I feel like situations like this, it's better to just laugh about it. Getting too upset about it will just make me depressed and I can't afford to be depressed right now/ever.

And now I'm off to the great outdoors...where it's cold and wet. I remember when this kind of weather would make me want to skip class. The feelings are still there but I must fight them. *sigh*