YAREN, SORAN, SORAN, SORAN, SORAN, SORAN, HAI HAI!!

Well well, after the overwhelming response my last blog elicited (from both of my aunts), how could I not finish writing about my last days in Japan?

One reason that I decided to stay for two weeks in Tokyo after the semester was because people kept bugging me about staying in Japan "only" for a semester. So I tried to extend my stay a little. The other reason was to see friends, and the other reason was to see the New Year in Japan, which is the biggest holiday of the year for them.

Considering that, my New Year was kind of...not that exciting.

I lived in the International House at my campus in the US. I was staying in Tokyo with my friend Pearl, who is also from the I-house, and on New Year's Eve four other friends from the I-house joined us: two Japanese girls, one American guy, and one Thai girl. We made a hot pot, ate lots of snacks, and watched the special New Year's Concert on TV. According to one article, "Unlike in the U.S., where people go out to celebrate New Year's, in Japan nearly everyone stays home for what is the most important television night of the year, and the concert is their version of the Super Bowl, the show that everyone watches." For a sample of the craziness I watched, check out this gem. Also, Gackt dressed as a samurai. Also, Ayumi Hamazaki CAN'T SING. Just for the record.

The American guy and I watched the concert and had fun trying to guess the gender of certain performers. It wasn't always easy. At midnight we all went out to the balcony and irritated Pearl's quiet neighborhood by cheering our heads off WOO! I LOVE YOU TOKYO!!! I saw some fireworks go off in the direction of Tokyo Disneyland.

In the morning we got up early to head off to Meiji shrine. Judging from the crowds there, half of Tokyo had the same plans as we did.

Every good Japanese goes to a shrine to toss money into the box and make wishes for the upcoming year. Meiji shrine is one of the most popular places to go, and it was packed. Our American friend, at 6'2", towered over everyone else and took the above pictures for me. Two elderly Japanese standing in his shadow said to each other, "No wonder the Americans always beat us in soccer."
It took us about an hour to get to the front of the shrine and toss in our money, which is actually relatively fast. Afterwards we went to the huge food court that had been set up nearby, where booths were selling everything from ramen to hamburgers.

So what should we do now, guys? Let's go to Akihabara and eat at a maid cafe. Ok.

What is a maid cafe? It's just a normal cafe, except that the waitresses are young, cute girls dressed up in maid outfits who address their customers as "master." They talk in high, squeaky voices and will play games or chat with you. For an extra fee you can also take pictures with them. (That's why the above picture is blurry- it was taken when she wasn't looking.) When our maid brought us our little bunny and panda-shaped cakes, she said something about wanting everyone to make a wish over the food for its deliciousness. She demonstrated, making a heart shape with her hands and moving it from side to side while saying, "moe, moe, kyuuu!" Aww, how cute. Or something.

Japan is a bizarre place. I kind of miss it.