Maid Cafe in Akihabara

Yesterday I met up with Matt, who goes to the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies near ICU, and James, who goes to University in Kobe, both of whom I know from Leeds. James was visiting Tokyo over Christmas and it was nice to see him, as I hadn't met up with him since the end of the Leeds year.

Matt invited me to meet them in Akihabara (秋葉原), which is the discount electronics district, and also centre of sleaze in Tokyo, with a wide variety of dodgy anime and manga-related shops and things in that vein.

We met outside the station and wandered around looking for a suitable place. I didn't really know how to feel about going to a maid cafe. The basic premise is that you pay a set amount per hour to go in (Y500 in our case), and then pay for food and drinks on top of that. But the different thing is that they are brought to you by cute Japanese girls dressed in maid outfits. It sounds very sleazy, particularly from a Western point of view, so I really wasn't sure what to expect, but it's quite a Japanese experience so I wanted to give it a go with an open mind.

We passed lots of maids on the street who were giving out flyers for their respective cafes, but all of us were too embarrassed to actually go up and take one!

But we actually came across one that James went to last time he visited Tokyo on our wanderings, so we went into that one. James said it wasn't at all sleazy, so we trusted his judgement. We were met by a maid at the door, who spoke in an unnaturally high voice as she guided us to our table. I was relieved to see that it wasn't all desperate old men, but there were some couples, and even a married couple with a child there!

It was all super-cute, with plastic furniture and fake Western things dotted around the pink and yellow room. There were about six maids working there, and they all used the same high, cute voices. We took our seats and looked over the menu. They gave us an English menu, which had the most hilarious bad English translations I've ever seen. I wish I'd written some of them down!

A maid came up to us and knelt down by the table, bringing out a "magic lamp", which was a plastic candle in a plastic holder. She showed it to each of us, proclaiming "it's a magic lamp!", before blowing on it, making it light up. We all clapped, and she looked very happy.

We ordered some food and drinks, and then just watched the general life in a maid cafe. It was very amusing when a salaryman ordered a cocktail, and the maid took him up to a mini-stage they had in the corner and called for everyone's attention while she sang and shook the cocktail shaker. No room for embarrassment here!

I wish I could have taken photos inside, but unfortunately they're banned in all maid cafes. I can understand the reasoning behind that.

Our food came, and we went through a very interesting ritual, guided by our maid, to make the food more delicious. It involved making a heart shape with our hands and then chanting something like "Motto oishiku naru! Moe, moe, kyuu!" as we pointed with our "hearts" to the food in front of us. Once we'd done it, the girl clapped and called "Hai! Oishiku natta!" (Yay! It's delicious now!) We obviously did a very good job.

Our hour was quickly up, but we asked if we could have a photo taken with one the maids (the only way you can have a photo). It cost Y500 per print, so we just took the one. Here's the result -

Our maid was definitely the most attractive one in the cafe.

After leaving the cafe, we went to meet some other friends from Kobe who were in Tokyo in Odaiba, which was also a lot of fun.

So now I can say that I have experienced a real Japanese maid cafe! And it definitely wasn't as sleazy as I thought it might be. The emphasis was clearly placed on cuteness, rather than sexiness. It also helps to keep an open mind with these types of things!

Merry Christmas!

Well, it's Christmas! This year, I've been anticipating it and slightly dreading it at the same time. I really wasn't sure how I'd feel, with it being my first ever Christmas away from home.

I made sure to make plans for each part of the day, to try to minimise loneliness, which would be awful on Christmas Day! I planned to watch a film with Katy and Dan, who couldn't make it from Kobe in the end due to flu, (Rob is in Kyoto with his parents until New Year), then go to a dinner we were invited to at ICU, and then meet some other friends who came from Kobe in the centre of Tokyo for karaoke or something afterwards.

Things didn't go exactly to plan, but everything turned out okay in the end.

I opened all my cards and presents in the morning after a lie-in (I figured the longer I sleep the less time I have to be alone!) and put them all out on my chest of drawers.



Katy had gone to meet her friend in Akihabara, and they both came back to watch 'About A Boy' with me at about 3pm. We watched that, but didn't quite make it to the end because I'd arranged to Skype with my family at 8am UK time.

I spoke to my family via webcam for an hour, and I watched my brothers sit on my parents' bed and open their presents. They put the laptop in the place I'd usually sit in so it really was like I was there. It was lovely to feel so close to them, despite being on the other side of the world.

The hour flew by and suddenly it was time for me to leave for the dinner at ICU. I felt so lucky that I could speak to them and take part in the family Christmas.

Katy and I left the guesthouse and cycled the twenty minutes or so to ICU. When we got to the teacher's house, everyone else was there, with glasses of wine sitting on the sofa or by the fire. She has a lovely Western-style home inside a traditional Japanese house. It's really interesting to be there.

It was decked out properly for Christmas, with the tree and stockings by the fire. It was so nice!

There were some lovely people there, including people from England, Canada, Brazil, Mexico and Japan. Katy and I were the youngest ones there, but it wasn't at all uncomfortable - everyone was very friendly. One of the other teachers (who was from England) brought her two year old son, and he was so sweet! He ended up dragging me into a game where I had to pick him up from one sofa and fly him to the other where his Mum was. Children are so cute!

The food came out at about 7pm, and it was such an amazing spread! It was all Western food, and it was exactly what I'd hoped for. It was all delicious, and we ate so much of it! There was even real mulled wine, which they gave to me and Katy to take home at the end of the night, because, being British, we were so excited to see it!

We had two helpings of the main course, and were stuffed! I really didn't think I could eat anything else, but then all the puddings came out! The Japanese idea of a separate stomach 別腹 (betsubara) was definitely true here!

The meal was absolutely fantastic. Everything was really well made, and the atmosphere made me feel really at home. It was everything I hoped it would be, and more.

I got a ring from Matt, who I was going to meet in Shinjuku after the meal, and he said that people couldn't stay out all night, and were going to head home in a couple of hours. That meant there wasn't really any point in me going to meet them for such a short time, so Katy and I stayed until the very end of the meal. I wasn't at all disappointed, although it would have been lovely to see them, I was having such a nice time I wouldn't have felt right about leaving early.

We helped clear away the dishes and chatted for a bit longer, and then cycled home at about 10:30pm. I spoke to my family again very briefly, as they were just leaving for a park near our house called Lickey Hills, for a Christmas barbecue in the snow.

And that was my first abroad Christmas! It was slightly lonely, but the atmosphere at the meal was so nice I completely forgot about it. I survived it! And next year I'll be at home with my family again!

Next up, New Year - which is much bigger than Christmas in Japan. I'm looking forward to it!

Tokyo Disney Sea

On Sunday I went to Tokyo Disney Sea with Rob and several other friends from Leeds. Some of the Japanese people came from Osaka and Fukuoka, and for one it was his first ever trip to Tokyo!

It was the last weekend before Christmas, and Disney Sea is very centred around couples, and as Christmas is a couple's holiday in Japan, it was very very crowded. One of our friends arrived before us, and she texted us saying that we might not be able to get in because there were so many people.

But we decided to try to go anyway. On the way, because it was such a beautifully clear day, we saw Mt Fuji from the train, which was very nice. (Sorry about the awful photo of it though.)



We arrived at Maihama station (舞浜駅) and met our friends, and then went to the monorail stop.

This is the monorail from the front gate to Disney Sea.

And they have Mickey hand holds!

We bought our tickets, and thankfully it wasn't so busy that they didn't let us in, but it was very crowded inside. Because I'm having quite bad money trouble, Rob offered to pay for my ticket, which was extremely kind of him. He's such a nice guy.

All of the Fast Track tickets had been sold already, and it was only 10:30am. So we had to wait for the whole time for every ride we went on. The average wait was about 2 hours, which wasn't too bad considering what it could be.

The first ride we went on was Tower of Terror, which was an experience, considering I hate the stomach-in-your-throat feeling, and it's a free-fall drop ride, but it was still fun.

And here are the Disney characters! There weren't as many as in Tokyo Disney Land, which I've now been to twice, once last year, and then again this year with Soul Run.

We had curry for lunch in the Aladdin-themed area, and then went on a mini-Sinbad ride.

After that, we queued for just under two hours for the Indiana Jones ride, which was very fun.

When we came out of Indiana Jones it was getting dark. When the queues are so long you don't get to go on so many rides!

We went to 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth', which is built inside this man-made volcano. It's so cleverly designed! And when it gets dark, the volcano smokes and ocassionally erupts!

After that ride, it was nearly closing time so we went on one last one, which was Storm Rider, a very good simulator that flies you into the eye of a hurricane. It was very well done.

After that we met up with the others and headed for the main gate.

We left at closing time (10pm) and headed for home. It was a very nice day. I'm so grateful to Rob for paying for my ticket. I need to find someway to repay him!

I think overall I like Tokyo Disney Land more, but if I was going on a date, I'd choose Disney Sea, because it's a very romantic place, with lots of nice areas. But both are great fun to visit - if you're in Tokyo for a while, and can afford the Y5,800, then I recommend them!

Soul Run Christmas Party

Last Friday was the Soul Run Christmas party! It was exactly a week until Christmas, but none of us (particularly the exchange students) were feeling very festive. I wasn't feeling it because it wasn't cold enough! It was still 5C at night, which is as high as it goes during the day tops in Britain! It seems like Britain is going through a cold spell at the moment, with temperatures of -6C and lots of snow all over the country. I missed the first White Christmas in absolutely ages!

We went to an all you can drink karaoke place in Shinjuku for the party. It turned out that the place we had booked didn't have enough space for the 20 or so of us, so we had to go to their annex. It was in a seedy-looking building above a host bar, which looked slightly dodgy, but it turned out to be perfectly fine.

It cost Y2,500 per person, and that included all the drinks (but not beer, which required an extra fee, as is pretty common in Japan) and seven dishes of salad, chips (as in French fries), popcorn and things like that. I had one alcoholic drink, and then had oolong tea for the rest of the night. I've realised that I'm not a big drinker, although I do drink alcohol.

We sang lots of Christmas songs at first, me starting the night off with my all-time favourite Christmas song - All I Want For Christmas Is You, by Mariah Carey. The Japanese name is, weirdly, 恋人たちのクリスマス, koibitotachi no kurisumasu, which translates as something like 'The Couple's Christmas'.

That was a lot of fun to sing, and I did take a video, but I adamantly refuse to put it on the internet, as that can lead to nothing good!

We then sang a lot of other traditional Christmas songs, both English and Japanese versions, and then changed to Disney, and ended up with the normal pop songs.

This was the night we were exchanging our Secret Santa gifts, so Rei and A-chan got up with the microphones and called out the names of the people who were giving presents. I was the first one to be called, so I went up and gave my present, a small cup and flannel with cute characters on them, to a girl called Nao. Rei asked us to say a message as we handed our presents over so I thanked her for teaching us Soul Run, and wished her a very merry Christmas.

The next person was Rob, and he got up and announced that he had been given me! So I went back up to get my present, and I was really surprised. Rob said that I'd become a really good friend of his over the last few months, and he was glad we were living together. I felt the same way, so I was a bit overcome with emotion. And his gift was so thoughtful! He got me a Japanese Where's Wally book, and a Perfume Portfolio (Perfume is my favourite Japanese pop group), along with a really nicely written letter. I was so overwhelmed by his kindness! I wish I had money so I could give him something as nice back!

We did the rest of the Secret Santas, and everyone was really pleased with their gifts. It was the first time Soul Run had done a Secret Santa, and it worked very well. I definitely want to do it again at some point!

It was a great night. I had brought my Santa hat along, to get into the festive spirit, and something must have worked, because I ended up very seasonal and jolly.

After karaoke, we split in half, and some went home, but I stayed with a group of about eight who went back to Rei's (the leader) house for the night. We took the Seibu Shinjuku line (西部新宿線) from Seibu Shinjuku station, which is about ten minutes' walk from JR Shinjuku station, the main one. The station was very crowded when we arrived, and we walked down the platform and then waited for the train. The train took a long time to arrive, and the platform was getting busier and busier. The train came, and it was nearly empty. But after everyone had got on, it was extremely cramped. We were some of the first to get on, so we were by the door on the opposite side to the platform.

The busy train left Shinjuku and stopped at Takadanobaba (高田馬場) first. Some people got off, but then about twice that amount tried to get on. A-chan was pushed right up against my chest, and she cried out "I can hear your heartbeat!" Not the most romantic setting for that kind of line...

The train stayed at Takadanobaba for a really long time (we think there may have been a suicide further along the line that caused a delay), and that meant that more and more people tried to force themselves on. When the train left, there really was no room to breathe. I had an old man falling asleep on my shoulder, with A-chan pushed against my chest, and Rei holding my bag behind me. It was definitely the most crowded train I've ever been on. Actually, probably the most crowded place I've ever been in. I was lucky to be right by the door, because there was a breeze coming in through the door, and when we stopped at a station I had to get off the train to let other people get off, which meant I got some fresh air. This also meant that I had to be the person who shoved everyone further into the train, and then hold onto the door frame so I didn't get caught in the closing doors. I felt awful, but I'd seen so many people do it before I knew it was a normal occurence. I tried my very best to be okay with it, as I do get claustrophobic, and I was surprised that I was fine, even though there were big gaps in between each stop. I must be getting used to it!

We had a bit of a scare when a very large Japanese man with very bloodshot eyes started staring at Rob, muttering threatening comments. He did it to all of us, but Rob was closest, so he got the full brunt of it. It was the first time we'd ever felt threatened in Japan. The man eventually got off without any trouble, but we were quite worried for a bit. The lovely thing was that several of the other Japanese people said "It's okay now" once he'd gone. We think it must have been racism that fuelled his anger towards us, which is a shame, but it was bound to happen some time.

We put that experience behind us when we got off the train at Rei's stop, which is one stop before Saitama prefecture, so it took just under an hour from Shinjuku. What an awful journey! But at least I can say I've been on one of those trains. I really can't imagine doing that every day though, the life of a salaryman is really not for me.

We had a great night after that. We rolled ourselves up in blankets and chatted for a while, and then watched Aladdin, which was a lot of fun. We went to sleep at about 3am, and slept til 10. Most people left pretty quickly, but Rob and I stayed for a while until mid-afternoon. I love Rei's house, it's really big (four rooms and a bathroom, with a small garden!) and I feel very comfortable there.

All in all, it was a lovely night, and it definitely put me in the Christmas mood!

Work Permit Application

Over the last two weeks, during the run-up to Christmas, I have been sorting out everything for my work permit, which I need to get a job in Japan as I'm here on a student visa.

ICU don't let their students who start in September apply for their work permits until November, and even then the process takes a long time. I understand the reasons behind this, as they don't want students to spread themselves too thinly, but my money situation is getting pretty dire, so I could have used a job at least a month ago! But there you go, you can't argue with the rules.

So I gave ICU my information and they made up a letter saying that they give permission for me to apply for a work permit. I then took that to the Immigration Bureau in Tachikawa with some friends, where I went to get my re-entry permit.

I took a number from the ticket machine by the desk as before, and it was twenty numbers away.

I filled out the form, but there were two that looked like the work permit application. The correct one has much more to fill in, with sections for your employer's information, and legal proxies etc. I filled out both of the forms just in case, but I didn't need the other, sparser one. Because I didn't know who my employer would be I left that section blank, and it wasn't a problem. I did have to write how many hours I can work down, and ICU say that I can work 32.5 hours a week based on the fact that I'm taking 9 credits this semester.

They were working much quicker than the last time I went and waited over two hours, and we were all done in under an hour. There was barely time for me to eat my lunch!

I gave them my:

- completed application form

- Alien Card

- letter from University (or other, allowing you to apply for the permit)

- passport.

Katy hadn't brought her passport, and was really annoyed that she had to go back the next day and do the whole process again. And all they need the passport for is to staple a date in there so you know when to return for the actual permit! Oh bureaucracy, how we love you...

The date we were given is 7th January, which is three weeks after we applied for it, but it might not usually take that long. Because New Year is in the middle of the period, it might have extended the time.

Anyway, now I'm eagerly awaiting the 7th, so I can find a job and start earning some money!

Term One Results

Back to ICU and normal Japanese life after my trip home! Going home has really helped me to appreciate the life I have here, as I know that home is still there, and most things are the same, but I can have all these fun, new and exciting adventures in Japan while I'm here.

On the first day back to ICU, which was a Thursday, I registered for my Winter Term courses - I took the next level of Japanese (Japanese 6) and an elective module in Psycholinguistics, which is taught by the same teacher as my Linguistics class last semester. I really enjoyed her lectures, and Psycholinguistics has turned out to be just as well taught, so I'm glad I chose it.

I also got my results for the Autumn Term. I got a B in Japanese, and an A in Linguistics. They didn't break everything down for Japanese, but I expected a B, judging from how I did in all the different assessments. Of course I would have loved an A, but that would be at least 90%! My Japanese is not that good!

I will try my best this semester to get an A, but I think another B would be okay!

Back in Japan

Who'd have known that twelve days could be so fast, and so amazing!?

It was a crazy blur of seeing family, friends, and as much of my home as I could, but the one word that I can describe it with is "magical". No other word I can think of fits my memories of my surprise trip home as well as magical.

I did so much, there just isn't room to write everything down, but my Mum met me at Heathrow on Thursday 19th, after my twelve-hour flight, which of course I hadn't slept during at all! When I came out into the arrivals lounge, I was ferociously scanning the crowd of people waiting for us to come out for my Mum. I didn't see her, but I heard a cry of "Miles!" and then she came running into view. It was such a lovely welcome back to Britain.

We drove the two hours or so to my hometown of Birmingham, and went straight to my old secondary school, where my brother was doing a small performance at a quiz night there. We participated in the quiz, and didn't do too badly - top 3 I think.. But I have to say, as I'd been awake for 26 hours, I didn't perform as well as I normally would have done! But I went to another pub quiz the following week, which we won money for, so I think it evened out overall.

I slept well, but woke up early, which I did for most of the first week. My body seemed to think 6am was an excellent time to get up! How wrong it was...

On the Friday evening, my Dad drove me down to Wiltshire, where we stayed the night at my Gran and Grandad's house. He was going anyway, to take my Grandad to the rugby in Cardiff the next day, so I was really pleased I could go with him. It was so amazing to see my grandparents. I'm very close to them, so there was no way I would have returned to Britain without going to see them. We had a cup of tea and some biscuits and then went to bed.

On the Saturday I went to see my Gran in her stageshow, which was a collection of West End musical pieces, most of which I knew. It was the first time I'd ever seen her on stage, even though she's always working on a performance. I don't know how she manages it!

We drove back to Birmingham on Saturday evening, and I was so happy I'd had the chance to catch up with them.

Then the Sunday evening has become one of my nicest memories, perhaps ever. We had an early Christmas dinner - turkey with all the trimmings. And we had crackers, candles and Christmas music, and it all felt so authentic. Because I'll be in Japan, away from my family for the first Christmas ever, this year, I was overjoyed to have that opportunity.

After the amazing dinner, we took mincepies and fancy chocolates into the living room, lit a fire in the hearth, and watched a classic Christmas film, The Great Escape.

On the Tuesday, two of my best friends, who I met at Leeds Uni last year, came to Birmingham and stayed the night at my house. It was so nice to see them again! We'd all been geared up to not see each other for over a year, and yet here we were!

We met at the train station, and then went straight to the German Christmas market, which comes to Birmingham every year. Apparently it's the biggest in Europe (except for Germany of course).

I love the German market, because there's such a nice atmosphere, especially when it's cold, which it was! We wandered around the stalls, buying food as we went.

The next day we visited my old workplace, Cadbury World (a visitor attraction devoted to Cadbury chocolate), which is always nice. I saw lots of my old colleagues, and ate a lot of chocolate of course!

That day zoomed by, and suddenly I was saying goodbye to my friends for another nine months or so, but at least we'd had the chance to see each other once in the year!

The rest of the week was spent relaxing and spending time with my family at home. It was a perfect few days.

On the Friday evening, we left for Norfolk. My family and I go to Norfolk every year around my grandmother's birthday, and we go to visit my Mum's side of the family. It just so happened that my trip home coincided with this weekend break, so I could go with them!

I love the cottage we stay in most years - it's so incredibly British!

On the Saturday we went to a beach we often used to visit. It was the first beach I ever went to as a child.

Of course it was freezing cold, but the sky was a beautiful blue, and there were some nice clouds around. We went to a small cafe on the front and had cups of tea and cakes. (I really was getting my fill of British life while I was there!)

On Sunday we went to the annual extended family gathering at a pub called the Eel's Foot Inn and had a roast dinner. It was lovely to see all the faces I didn't think I'd see for such a long time!

Unfortunately, the lunch was at the same time as online check-in for my flight back to Japan the following day opened. So I tried to get onto the BA website from my Dad's laptop using a dongle.

But, as we were in the middle of nowhere, there wasn't a strong enough mobile signal to keep the internet connection. So I had to try to relax (I was very keen to get a good seat, as I'd been spoiled with the ultimate legroom seat by the emergency exit on the flight out) and enjoy the rest of the meal without worrying about it.

I always like going out to the back of the pub and standing by the Broad (lake).

After the dinner, we took a group photo outside the pub, and then went our separate ways. It's a four-hour drive back to Birmingham, so we had plenty of time to get used to the idea that I was leaving the next day!

We stopped at a motorway services and stole some internet from a Little Chef restaurant by parking right outside it. I logged onto my flight information, and was very surprised to see that there were plenty of good seats left. I chose one that was at the front of a section, next to the baby cots. The two seats with baby facilities were empty, so I thought that was a safe bet.

We got home at about 8pm, and I did my final packing, before watching a TV programme with my family. Then we all said goodnight for the last time for another nine months, and went to bed.

I woke up at just gone 7am and got my things together. I said a sad goodbye to my two brothers who were leaving for school and college, and then my Dad.

My Mum drove me back down to Heathrow airport in London and we checked in my baggage, before having a muffin (I miss proper muffins while I'm in Japan!) and a cup of coffee together.

And then it was time. We hugged and said goodbye in front of the security area, and then I waved as I walked past the gate, and I was gone.

It was very sad to say goodbye, but I couldn't believe I was able to go home and see them all. It was... magical.

The flight was fine, and the two baby cot seats next to mine stayed empty, so I had plenty of room, although, despite trying, I couldn't sleep again.

As we flew over Siberia, and turned south towards Japan, the sun started to rise. And it was probably because I was so tired, and perhaps a bit emotional, but the idea of approaching Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun, as the sky started to turn purple and crimson, was very romantic.

Coming back into Japan, I had my photo and fingerprints taken, for the third time, and there were no problems with my re-entry permit.

I decided to take the train back to Musashi Koganei, because it was cheaper than the Limousine Bus, and took about the same time - two hours. I took the JR Sobu Line from Narita Airport to Tokyo, speaking to a nice Japanese man who wanted to practise English with me, and then changed to the Chuo line, which took me directly to Musashi Koganei.

I dragged my suitcase down the hill and was finally back in the guesthouse, with a bed! But, it was only 1pm, and not time for sleeping! So I knocked on Rob and Katy's doors and we went for lunch at our favourite restaurant nearby, Tanmen Ramen (タンメンラーメン) and had our beloved Cutlet Curry (かつカレー, katsu karee).

We came back and I had a nap for a couple of hours. Or at least that was the plan, I remember turning off my alarm at 6pm, but the next thing I knew I was waking up at 10pm. Oops! I got up and showered, and then unpacked everything, and went back to bed at 1am. And then I had to get up at 7.30 to go to Disneyland with the people from Soul Run!

And now, looking back at the twelve days I spent at home, it feels just like a dream. A magical dream.

200th Post Spectacular: I'm Home!

I'm at home!! I'm sitting in my bed with a cup of tea in my favourite mug that my mum brought to me, listening to Radio 1, amazed that I'm here.

Five days ago I didn't think I'd see my home or family for another ten months, but here I am, just like I've never been in Japan!

I got up at 5am yesterday (it really doesn't feel like it was yesterday...) and had breakfast, put the very last things in my suitcase, and then headed up to the station. It was only 10 minutes or so to Kichijoji, where I was catching the bus to Narita airport. At first I couldn't find where the bus left from, so I asked at a police box and they took me just round the corner and I saw a long line of people waiting for the bus to arrive.

I saw the guy from ICU who I spoke to after getting my re-entry permit earlier in the week in the line and I chatted to him before joining the back. The bus came about five minutes later and it was exactly the same process as the Airport Limousine buses I got from Narita last year, show the man the ticket and tell him which terminal you're going to, get a receipt for the luggage and then get on and find a seat. It was actually an Odakyu bus, but it was doing the Airport service.

It was timetabled to take two hours, but it was more like an hour and a half, which was good. We went through Shinjuku and I saw the skyscaper district from a distance, which was an amazing view, seeing the buildings suddenly shoot up from the low-rise surroundings. Then we headed east to Ginza and I saw my old house from last year from the bridge over Sumida River!

At the airport, it was very easy to get through check-in and customs, and then I had a second breakfast in the same ramen restaurant near my gate that I ate at when I left Japan last August. It was very nostalgic!

My plane boarded at 10.30 and then left early at about 11am. I had checked-in online, so I'd chosen a seat near an emergency exit that didn't have a seat in front of it, so I had loads of legroom!

The flight went okay, and it didn't seem to take long, which was very welcome, as it was a 12 hour and 15 minute flight. I watched Independence Day, which I've seen about 15 times, but I can't resist watching it if I have the opportunity! And then I tried to sleep, but it didn't happen. I can never sleep on planes unless I'm really really tired.

There was a bit of turbulence over Europe, which wasn't very fun, but it only lasted about 25 minutes or so. And then I was back in Britain! I was staring out of the window with wide eyes at the British countryside, and then the Thames River and the Houses of Parliament as we came in to land.

There were no problems at Arrivals, but my baggage did take a while to come out onto the carousel. Apparently there was a security issue which delayed them, and I was praying it wasn't my bag, but thankfully it wasn't!

And then I came out and met my mum. It was wonderful! We had a long hug and then got some coffee and went to the car. I was really tired but it was a lovely drive home to Birmingham through the British countryside. It's so British!

We went straight to my old school for a quiz night where my youngest brother was doing a performance. I don't think I was any help with the answers, but it was fun. It was such a nice reunion with the rest of my family as well. People were staring at the many long hugs going on!

And then we went home and had a bit of dinner. I was so tired I couldn't really take in being in my home again, but it was so nice. So amazing to be back.

And then, after 26 hours of being awake, I could finally rest! And now here I am, in bed at home. Now I think I'll have some of my favourite cereal and watch some TV on our new sofas, before having fish and chips (so British) from our local chip shop for dinner and then going to my gran and grandad's house for the night with my dad.

The dream has begun!

Japanese Re-Entry Permit

Because I'm leaving Japan but returning on the same visa, I need a re-entry permit (再入国許可, sainyuukoku kyoka) otherwise the visa would automatically be cancelled when I leave the country and when I come back it would only be on a tourist visa. This is true for student visas and working holiday visas, and probably work visas as well.

In order to get the re-entry permit, I had to go to my closest Regional Immigration Bureau (入国管理局, nyuukoku kanrikyoku), which thankfully wasn't too far away, in Tachikawa (立川). Last year I went to the other one in Tokyo, which was in the middle of nowhere in Shinagawa. Every area in Japan will have one of these Immigration Bureaus, but unfortunately if you live outside of the major cities, you may have to travel quite far to get to one. It's lucky that Tokyo has two!

To apply for a re-entry permit you need:

- an application form (available at the Immigration Bureau)
- passport with your Japanese visa inside
- Alien Card (外国人登録証明書, gaikokujin tourokushoumeisho, or just gaikokujin tourokusho)
- a special stamp (available at convenience stores)
- fee (Y3,000 for single re-entry, or Y6,000 for multiple)

So this morning I spoke to Wynne, an American girl who's in my class at ICU, and also lives in the same guesthouse as I do, because she went through the re-entry permit process a few weeks ago.

I went to my local city office (市役所, shiyakusho) to get a map and then took the train to Tachikawa. Following the instuctions on the map they gave me, I took the bus from stand #12 of the North exit of Tachikawa station bound for (北町, Kita-machi) and went to the 多摩車検場前 (Tama Shakenjou-mae) stop. The automatic announcements for this stop were in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean, so obviously a lot of foreigners go there!

In order to get the re-entry permit you have to buy a special type of stamp from a convenience store. I found this very strange, but never mind, who am I to argue with the Japanese immigration laws! All the nearby shops seemed to sell the stamps, so I just went into one and asked for a 再入国許可のスタンプ (sainyuukoku kyoka no sutampu). I don't know if that was the correct way to ask in Japanese but they understood and asked if I wanted one for Y3,000 or Y6,000. The Y3,000 ones are for a single re-entry, which means you can leave Japan and come back once and continue using the same visa. The Y6,000 is for multiple re-entry, so you can leave and come back as many times as you want. This is the one I went for, because it's the same price as two singles, and I intend to go to China next year, and then if I go anywhere else I can do it without paying any extra money.

After buying the stamp, I asked the shop assistant where the Immigration Bureau was and she pointed me in the right direction. Once I was on that road it was clearly signed and only took about two minutes. It was quite a small building, with a foyer and a room to the right with a waiting area, a desk with three clerks serving people, and some tables with files of forms.

I took a form for re-entry permits and started to fill it in, when I realised that I should have taken a slip of paper from the ticket machine to lessen my waiting time. It took me a while to find the machine, but I knew there must be one because there was a screen with numbers being called. It turned out to be on the main desk, so I took one and I was 128, the number being served was 97. I finished filling out the form and sat down.

Two hours later I was served. I didn't mind the wait, because I know how frustrating bureaucracy can be, so I was patient.

The clerk asked to see my application form, passport, Alien Card and then asked me to affix the stamp to the form and sign it.

He then stuck a label in my passport, stapled a form into it and that was it. A whole two minutes! So it was quite an easy process, it just took a long time. I have to fill in the first section of the form stapled into my passport for when I leave Japan, and then the second section for when I return.

After getting the permit, I then walked back to the bus stop and waited for the bus back to Tachikawa station. Then a guy from Bangladesh started talking to me, because he said he recognised me from ICU! He was a graduate student and he had been in the Immigration Bureau getting a re-entry permit because he was returning home the same day as me! Our flights are 10 minutes apart and he's also getting a Limousine bus from Kichijoji on the same morning as me! We might be on the same bus, but I think I might be on the one before him. It was such a coincidence! Who knows, I might bump into him on Thursday!

When I got back I rang the Limousine bus company and officially reserved my ticket. It was my first phone conversation entirely in Japanese, and it was very scary! But I muddled through and, if I understood everything correctly, I have to go to Musashi Sakai before 2pm tomorrow and pick up the ticket. So I'll combine a trip to Higashi Koganei to pay my next month's rent tomorrow morning with picking it up.

And then on Wednesday I can check-in online in the morning, and then I'll cycle into ICU to use their printers and print my boarding pass. I'll also see if they have sorted out my work permit application so I can pick that up. Then in the afternoon I'll pack, and then get up at 5am on Thursday and fly back home!

It's all incredible! I really can't believe it's happening! I think the next post I write will be from Birmingham, probably when I wake up in my own bed, in my own room, in my own country! Wow, it's going to be amazing...

A Sudden Change in Plans!

Well here's a big surprise!

My exams finished on Friday, and that started a two and a half week school holiday. I was really relieved to finally have my exams all out of the way.

Then I was talking to my parents on Skype on Saturday evening and they surprised me by saying that they were going to pay for a flight home for this break! As you can imagine, I was completely overwhelmed! I didn't think I'd be going home for ten months!

But now, the flight is booked and I'm going home on Thursday morning for 12 nights! I can't get my head around it... But I'm so excited! I'll see my family, and my home, and my friends, and I'll be sure to go back to Cadbury World and see people I used to work with. And it coincides with a trip to my grandparents' house in Wiltshire, and also our annual family trip to Norfolk where we meet up with my mum's side of the family.

It will be incredible - I can't wait!

So now I have three days to sort everything out and pack, and then on Thursday morning I'm getting up early and heading off to Narita Airport! How amazing is that!?

Very Busy Two Weeks

This post is just a quick apology for the lack of updates over the last week and a half! After the ICU Festival last weekend, which was busy enough with all the Soul Run practices for the performance, I have entered a period of exam after exam after presentation. The end of term is next Friday, and the run-up is full to the brim with tests and various deadlines.

So I'm afraid I don't think I'll have the time to write up the happenings of the last two weeks until my break starts. I'm so looking forward to that two weeks off!

I will catch up soon!

Soul Run Performance & The ICU Festival

Halloween weekend (31st Oct-1st Nov) was my University's festival (学際, gakusai), where we performed the heavily-rehearsed Soul Run dance.

Rob, Katy and I cycled in at lunchtime on the Saturday to get ready for the 3pm performance. We met the others at the gym and got changed into our happi (法被), the costumes for the dance. And we got hachimaki (鉢巻) headbands for the first time, and tied them ourselves, with a little bit of difficulty!

We then took all our things from the gym to one of the buildings near the stage, Shin D-kan. I was so nervous! I was terrified I was going to mess up in a really obvious way... We had half an hour to get even more scared, but the time passed quickly, and then we were lining up behind the stage, waiting for the act before us to finish.

I had invited one of my housemates from last year to come and watch, and he saw me waiting and wished me luck before going to join the audience.

Our leader (団長, danchou), a very cool guy called Rei, went out first and introduced us on the microphone to the crowd gathered on Ahoyama (あほ山), the name of one of the hills outside the main building (本館, honkan) in ICU.

He gave the signal for us to file out and take our places. As soon as I stepped out in front of everyone my mouth dried up completely. I was so nervous!

We found out places and took the first position. Rei took his place in front of us, and we all waited for his shout. And then we were off!

There are lots of videos of the performance on YouTube (unfortunately I don't have any). Here's one of them, but if you put "ICU Soul Run" into the search bar it comes up with several of them, including performances from previous years.

The following photos might give you an idea of what the dance was like... I'm the tall white guy closest to the camera in this top one.

I made a couple of timing errors, and one bigger mistake towards the end, but thankfully nobody noticed until Rob pointed it out (thanks Rob, haha), so hopefully it's not too obvious.

But I was so so happy to have accomplished that. We put in so much time and effort into that four minute performance! Towards the end of the seven weeks we were doing 8-10 hours a week after our lessons to try to make it look as smooth as possible.

And I was so pleased we did it! It was a similar feeling to when I finished the Midnight Walk across Tokyo a few weeks before.

And everyone was overjoyed to have done it!

After the performance, we congratulated each other and celebrated back in Shin D, before splitting up to enjoy the rest of the festival without worrying about the dance!

There were lots of stalls selling food and drink made by the students, and everything was organised and arranged by students. It was really amazing, how hard people worked to make everything happen. And it was the nicest atmosphere!

That evening we had an after party (お疲れ様パーティー, otsukaresama paatii) in Kichijoji. We went to an all you can eat and drink place and had a really nice time. Everyone was in the party mood, and framed photos and teddy bears were given to Rei, and three other members who are in their final year at ICU. The staff (幹部, kanbu) all worked incredibly hard towards the performance, and we owe them so much for everything.

It was Halloween night so there were some people out in costumes. As we were deciding who was going to karaoke, and who was going to a club in the centre, two small Japanese children came up trick or treating, and the boy found me hilarious, as I was wearing a Tigger hat with a tail. At least I hope it was the hat that he found so funny...

We went to karaoke and had a really nice evening, knowing that we'd done a good job.

We went back to ICU the next day as well, to see other performances, and soak up more of the fun atmosphere. The weather was lovely on both days, clear skies and around 20-25C. It was the warmest Halloween I'd ever experienced!

The taiko drumming was incredible, and the performers worked really really hard - you could see the amount of effort it took!

Rob and I watched Smooth Steppers, which is ICU's hip hop-style dance club. It has well over 50 members! The dances were all amazing, and I really enjoyed watching them. One of our friends, who's in my Japanese class, and also lives in our guesthouse, was performing, and she did incredibly well.

After Smooth Steppers, the performances were over, and it was time for us to watch the Closing Ceremony. It's usually held outside, but because there was a risk of rain, they held it in the auditorium.

This was where we would find out who won first, second and third prize for the performances. There were 40 performances in total that we could vote for. But I don't think the way the voting was done was very good, because people could only vote for who they wanted to win 5 minutes after the act. Which means that people can't see everything before deciding which was the best.

But, despite that, we had received a text saying that Soul Run was in the top three as the votes stood, without Smooth Steppers being counted, which it had never done before. So lots of us headed to watch, as there was a chance we would be asked to dance again.

The ceremony was very good, with lots of good acts - juggling and dancing, and things like that.

And then it was announced! Soul Run didn't make the top three! We were knocked off by Smooth Steppers in the end. But they did deserve it, they worked really really hard. But Soul Run still came fourth, which is the best they'd ever done! So that was definitely a good achievement.

It was a really nice weekend, and it made me really feel like I was part of the ICU community, and even more a part of Soul Run. I wish Leeds did something similar - I should suggest it!