Everything is finally coming together for Winter Break. After about two weeks of planning, Kyle and I decided to take a five day trip to Tokyo. We’re leaving the 26th and returning the 30th. The 27th we’re going to the Ghibli Museum, the next two days will be spent at the Disneyland in Tokyo. The little things are what excite me the most. This morning I bought the tickets for the Ghibli Museum. The main convenience store here is called Lawsons, and they are indeed convenient. Not only are they everywhere, but they’re open 24/7 and you can pay any kind of bill there. So far I’ve paid my gas, electric, and even health insurance bills there. They are also apparently the only place to buy tickets for the Ghibli Museum in Japan. So this morning I walked the fifteen feet to Lawsons and spent about thirty minutes fighting the little ticket machine. Though the site shows you how to get tickets, some steps are left out (as it often happens). Simple things like being denied for a specific time slot can be very confusing when you don’t know the language. There was even a part where I had to enter my name in the slot for Japanese names (the writing system for Japanese and foreign words is different), and then change it into katakana (just nod), even though there was a lower slot for katakana… Very confusing…

Kyle has also bought the tickets for Disneyland, and I’ve booked a hotel for us. The hotel is called Hotel New Azuma, and my mother can’t get over how tiny everything is. Each room is three tatami mats, which is 6 x 9ft. It’s just a futon, pillow, and a tv. Everything else is shared. I’m pretty excited. They even have a drink machine, a Japanese essential.

We’re also slowly compiling a list of shows, restaurants, and rides we’d like to see in Disneyland. Just so we don’t miss anything.^^

Well, that’s all for now. またね！

Chris.