Well hello, we are in Tokyo now watching some Japanese tv.
The trip yesterday wasn't too bad it was a bit hot and everyone's backs got a little sore from our backpacks but other than that all good.
Cairns airport is awful. That's all I'll say. Don't go there if you can avoid it. I have very good reason to say this.
But moving on from the very unpleasant, we are in the beautiful cold. It was I think 2-4c when we got in last night (it's 6c right now), we all got very cold but it was great not feeling faint from heat. We weren't able to get food until a bit later because of things with trains and putting luggage away, but we went to this little place with the most beautiful ramen and mum had this lovely prawn kind of soup which she absolutely loved. The people spoke no English but were very hospitable. (we overheard they were actually closed but they made food for us anyway! So nice! :)) We were eating this at like, 10:30 at night and hadn't eaten since 11:30 so you can imagine the joy whilst we devoured our delicious meals. We thanked them and told them it was delicious and left. Then we went and got the necessary stuff for showers and what not. Not much else to say.
This morning the boys were up earlier, possibly mum but Conrad and I woke up at 7. After we all got ready and bought a coffee we had breakfast at Lotteria (?). Mum and I bought these sausage burgers and a pepsi and a coffee and also some Japanese pancakes, all up around $10 AUD. Pretty awesome.
Then we went on a search for Don Quixote. We must've gone through one of the strangest parts of town, and also Akihabara, looking for it. While we walked we saw many a maid cafe and various anime and manga places.
After walking around for about an hour looking for Don Quixote (we got a bit confused) we finally got there.
I bought 3 pairs of tights, a fake moustache (hilarity will ensue) and these face masks for your skin that smell like different dessert. This is my challenge for the boys tonight. Facial masks... To relax... oh the torture...
Mum bought socks and gloves and a toothbrush.
I'm not sure what the boys got yet (at the auto salon atm) but Conrad has some green tea/white chocolate crunky chocolate, which is interesting but nice. He also got a fake goatee. I'm not sure why yet. haha
Steven bought me this grapefruit jelly stuff cos it was low sugar and it was really yummy :) I hope I can get some more.
Dean bought these body paper deodorants I found and showed to him. That wasn't from DonQi but still cool.
After the boys went to the auto salon mum and I set off for Tokyo Metro. Mum had clam chowder for lunch and I had spaghetti bolognaise. It was really good. And we got Grapefuit juice and iced cocoa.
After that we walked the rest of the way to Tokyo metro from Takashimaya area, and got our hair cut.
Mum wasn't sure she wanted to at first so I got mine cut. The people at Hanako are absolutely lovely. They are so polite, put your bags and coats in a closet while you get your hair cut, they also give you a little tray to put earrings and glasses on so they don't get in the way while your hair is being cut.
I had a bit of trouble saying what I wanted to at first (I get flustered and embarrassed sometimes cos I, like the rest of my travelling companions, stick out like a sore thumb) but after that it was alright. I showed the person what I wanted from the magazine and they got to work. They were so good the whole time- very thorough, won't move on to the next part unless every hair is perfectly cut and styled- they asked whenever they were going to do something to make sure I was okay with it which was good. I chatted with my hair dresser in broken Japanese/English (he spoke to me in Jap, but if I couldn't understand something he tried to say it in English, not much problem though) about where I was from, what we were in Japan for, if we'd been before, what are some nice foods, general chit chat.
The painstaking efforts taken to make your hair perfect at that salon are amazing. They use a blowdryer and a paddle brush to heat it straight, and the reason it needs to be straight is that they want it to be symmetrical and perfect as possible. After they do all the can to manicure your hair, they style it for you. My hair was curled and then they did this thing where they kind of ruffle your hair with the non sharp off the scissors and use a comb to fluff it up. I'm guessing it was for volume, but he said it wakes the hair up. :) haha
Mum then decided she'd have her hair cut too. She had a different hair dresser but I had to help translate because this hairdresser spoke zero English and Mum speaks very little Japanese. He spent SO much time on her hair (mainly cos mum's does the opposite of what you want it to, ie. when he was trying to make it straight to get it perfect it kept bouncing up) and he had a lot of fun I think. Mum allowed him to cut about 3-4 inches off of it so he had a lot to play with. He nearly slid on her hair a few times cos there was a fair amount of it on the floor haha
After spending so much time perfecting it he then curled it and put product in it. Looked really nice. :)
So right now we're waiting for the boys to come back so we can go get dinner. Seeing as none of our phones are working we will need to wait until they arrive. : |
Because of Virgin mobile's poor service mum's mobile isn't working over here and mine isn't working for some unknown reason, so we have to wait for the boys at the hotel.
Well, I'll go see if I can get reception or something outside. Hope this works.
C yous later, update later,
Whitney
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Roughly 11 hours to go!!
Yay! Getting ready to go!
Everything is packed now besides my insulin, but I can't take that out of the fridge just yet. Everyone is tired but excited, I still don't know how we'll be able to sleep though. We'll see how that goes.
I'm kinda glad the flights not at like, 11 or something, cos then I'd probably wake up early and be waiting around in suspense, at least if I wake up early I will either be on time or slightly early and be able to get everything packed and still be able to sit for a minute and collect my thoughts.
We're stopping over in Cairns, which my dear sister informed me is a very dumb idea this time of year, especially around lunch so we may be crispy by the time we get to Tokyo, but we'll have the lovely cold to put on our burns. :) And ice cream, and cake om nom nom nom. And I'm not talking cheap and nasty stuff, I'm talking the lovely cakes from the department stores that have been made and packed expertly, and the ice cream that is of the highest quickly. *drool*
I'm also really looking forward to ramen when we get there, if that's what we get. It's an easy thing to get good ramen in Tokyo but as we don't have that luxury here you certainly enjoy it over there and appreciate it.
Now I just have to think of what presents I'm going to get people. I have a rough idea of what to get my niece-lings, my bro and my sis, my cousin, a few people I'm getting thank you gifts for, I'm not sure what to get them yet. I can't believe the time already. I felt like I've barely been awake that long.
Oh well, long day tomorrow. Better go to bed. I'll try and update this as much as possible, but we'll see how that goes hehe
C ya,
Whitney
A video for you:
This show is hilarious, strange and fascinating all at the same time. Most will just call it strange. But I like it.
Everything is packed now besides my insulin, but I can't take that out of the fridge just yet. Everyone is tired but excited, I still don't know how we'll be able to sleep though. We'll see how that goes.
I'm kinda glad the flights not at like, 11 or something, cos then I'd probably wake up early and be waiting around in suspense, at least if I wake up early I will either be on time or slightly early and be able to get everything packed and still be able to sit for a minute and collect my thoughts.
We're stopping over in Cairns, which my dear sister informed me is a very dumb idea this time of year, especially around lunch so we may be crispy by the time we get to Tokyo, but we'll have the lovely cold to put on our burns. :) And ice cream, and cake om nom nom nom. And I'm not talking cheap and nasty stuff, I'm talking the lovely cakes from the department stores that have been made and packed expertly, and the ice cream that is of the highest quickly. *drool*
I'm also really looking forward to ramen when we get there, if that's what we get. It's an easy thing to get good ramen in Tokyo but as we don't have that luxury here you certainly enjoy it over there and appreciate it.
Now I just have to think of what presents I'm going to get people. I have a rough idea of what to get my niece-lings, my bro and my sis, my cousin, a few people I'm getting thank you gifts for, I'm not sure what to get them yet. I can't believe the time already. I felt like I've barely been awake that long.
Oh well, long day tomorrow. Better go to bed. I'll try and update this as much as possible, but we'll see how that goes hehe
C ya,
Whitney
A video for you:
This show is hilarious, strange and fascinating all at the same time. Most will just call it strange. But I like it.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
38..... hours left!!!!!
Wheeee excitement is building! 38 hours to go!
We are pretty much finished packing, just a few things here and there. We finished buying the last of the necessary things today, insulated cases for insulin and stuff, socks for the snow...
I'm just hoping everything will fit in my backpack for the plane. I still have DSs and games, and my phone and the insulin to chuck in my bag but other than that it's packed. I think it may be heavy though.
Supposedly, it's going to be 4c in Tokyo when we get there, which is colder than usual this time of year, and it's also going to be -17c or round abouts in Shigakogen which is even colder than normal. Glad I packed plenty of warm stuff and hats! Also get to take my pretty rainbow scarf that Dean bought me from Shanalogic.com a couple of years ago, looks something like this: ...... Okay, so the links not on the site anymore, but I for one think this hair clip is adorable: http://www.shanalogic.com/girls/accessories/hair-goods/lovely-butterfly-hair-clip-purple-2841.html
Don't know what else to say other than I'm so excited to go! :D
Will be a good one I'm sure. Can't wait to see a bit what Kyoto is like as well and do snowboarding this time :) Will be good.
Anywho, will post more tomorrow probably (seeing as I probably won't be able to sleep!!!)
Bye bye,
Whitney
Here's today's video:
I am forever singing this adorable song...
11/01/12 5:18pm
We are pretty much finished packing, just a few things here and there. We finished buying the last of the necessary things today, insulated cases for insulin and stuff, socks for the snow...
I'm just hoping everything will fit in my backpack for the plane. I still have DSs and games, and my phone and the insulin to chuck in my bag but other than that it's packed. I think it may be heavy though.
Supposedly, it's going to be 4c in Tokyo when we get there, which is colder than usual this time of year, and it's also going to be -17c or round abouts in Shigakogen which is even colder than normal. Glad I packed plenty of warm stuff and hats! Also get to take my pretty rainbow scarf that Dean bought me from Shanalogic.com a couple of years ago, looks something like this: ...... Okay, so the links not on the site anymore, but I for one think this hair clip is adorable: http://www.shanalogic.com/girls/accessories/hair-goods/lovely-butterfly-hair-clip-purple-2841.html
Don't know what else to say other than I'm so excited to go! :D
Will be a good one I'm sure. Can't wait to see a bit what Kyoto is like as well and do snowboarding this time :) Will be good.
Anywho, will post more tomorrow probably (seeing as I probably won't be able to sleep!!!)
Bye bye,
Whitney
Here's today's video:
I am forever singing this adorable song...
11/01/12 5:18pm
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
23 days, almost 3 weeks!
I haven't posted much lately, been trying to finish the phrasebook I've been working on for Japan. Got the information ready, just need to design what pictures I want on the pages of the different sections. Just hoping I haven't left any information out, but I don't think I have. I have a food and restaurant section, a sport section, a "just in case" with medical stuff, random section for things we may want to know, travelling words, shopping and greetings and manners. Just using character map for typing the sentences in hiragana/katakana was frustrating in itself, but getting all the information together was also a bit hard, but hopefully I'm finally finished. :3
Everyone is getting excited to go and Steven is going for his bike license today so he can ride bikes with Dean and Conrad in Hakone which will be nice for them. I'm not sure what mum and I will do on that day but I'm sure we will find something fun to do.
I can't wait to be able to eat all that delicious, authentic and pretty cheap Japanese food and all the other yummy things they are so skilled at making. The best strawberry shortcake I've ever tasted was in Japan, as well as many others. The sponge is just so lovely and light, the cream is just the right amount of sweetness and the strawberries are fresh and beautiful. They also have really nice ice cream over there that is not too sweet but so creamy. Another thing I love is that a lot of things have xylitol in them which means less calories and carbohydrate, and I've heard xylitol is also quite good for your teeth.
I've also now got some headphones for the flights, they are turqoise (not the most important feature, but still cool), they were $47, and the employees let me try the headphones in store, and they cut out sound really well and the sound quality is great, the headphones themselves are comfortable and fit around one's ears well. They are just really nicely designed, quite happy with them. Mum also got a small bonus from work so we were able to go get some jeans and other things we really needed for Japan. That was fun, had to take some jeans back though cos they didn't fit the way I thought they would. I got a pair of straight leg jeans and tried them on, they fitted (?) really well, then I assumed (silly me) that even if I get a pair of straight leg jeans in the same size from the same store that are a different price that they would still fit, but when I got home that wasn't the case. That'll teach me to always try my jeans on. So, I tried EVERY pair on when I had to go back and get more, and I bought some really nice ones that fit beautifully, and I was really happy with. The second time instead of getting 2 pairs of straight leg jeans, I got a really nice pair of bootleg ones with really pretty designs/beads on the back pockets and hip pockets, and a nice pair of straight leg jeans that are comfortable and I'm happy with. The bootleg ones were marked down to $10, so I was pretty happy. The straight ones were a bit more than the previous ones, but they fit far better than the first pair I bought, it was an option of 1. Super cheap jeans that fit okay-ish. 2. Cost slightly more but fit really nicely and are really comfortable. So we went with option 2. But anyway, enough about my jeans.
I have a job interview tomorrow at one of my brother's work, which I'm pretty happy about. She seemed to be happy with the answer I gave on the phone. I gave my resume to her last Friday at about 10am and she rang me at 2pm, so they either haven't received many applications or they liked mine. We'll see about that. Hopefully I get it. And they knew about Bro's holiday so they are fine for me going on holiday in January to resume when I return, which is pretty awesome!
Well I can't think of anything else right now, so I will leave you with this video to watch. It's this candy from Japan I really wanna try, it's just crazy.
First time I saw this I was like "What is this insanity!!?".
C yas!
12:43pm 20/12/2011
Everyone is getting excited to go and Steven is going for his bike license today so he can ride bikes with Dean and Conrad in Hakone which will be nice for them. I'm not sure what mum and I will do on that day but I'm sure we will find something fun to do.
I can't wait to be able to eat all that delicious, authentic and pretty cheap Japanese food and all the other yummy things they are so skilled at making. The best strawberry shortcake I've ever tasted was in Japan, as well as many others. The sponge is just so lovely and light, the cream is just the right amount of sweetness and the strawberries are fresh and beautiful. They also have really nice ice cream over there that is not too sweet but so creamy. Another thing I love is that a lot of things have xylitol in them which means less calories and carbohydrate, and I've heard xylitol is also quite good for your teeth.
I've also now got some headphones for the flights, they are turqoise (not the most important feature, but still cool), they were $47, and the employees let me try the headphones in store, and they cut out sound really well and the sound quality is great, the headphones themselves are comfortable and fit around one's ears well. They are just really nicely designed, quite happy with them. Mum also got a small bonus from work so we were able to go get some jeans and other things we really needed for Japan. That was fun, had to take some jeans back though cos they didn't fit the way I thought they would. I got a pair of straight leg jeans and tried them on, they fitted (?) really well, then I assumed (silly me) that even if I get a pair of straight leg jeans in the same size from the same store that are a different price that they would still fit, but when I got home that wasn't the case. That'll teach me to always try my jeans on. So, I tried EVERY pair on when I had to go back and get more, and I bought some really nice ones that fit beautifully, and I was really happy with. The second time instead of getting 2 pairs of straight leg jeans, I got a really nice pair of bootleg ones with really pretty designs/beads on the back pockets and hip pockets, and a nice pair of straight leg jeans that are comfortable and I'm happy with. The bootleg ones were marked down to $10, so I was pretty happy. The straight ones were a bit more than the previous ones, but they fit far better than the first pair I bought, it was an option of 1. Super cheap jeans that fit okay-ish. 2. Cost slightly more but fit really nicely and are really comfortable. So we went with option 2. But anyway, enough about my jeans.
I have a job interview tomorrow at one of my brother's work, which I'm pretty happy about. She seemed to be happy with the answer I gave on the phone. I gave my resume to her last Friday at about 10am and she rang me at 2pm, so they either haven't received many applications or they liked mine. We'll see about that. Hopefully I get it. And they knew about Bro's holiday so they are fine for me going on holiday in January to resume when I return, which is pretty awesome!
Well I can't think of anything else right now, so I will leave you with this video to watch. It's this candy from Japan I really wanna try, it's just crazy.
First time I saw this I was like "What is this insanity!!?".
C yas!
12:43pm 20/12/2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
30 days
Hellooo~ 30 days :) Getting excited, need to start getting the Winter clothes out and washing them. Had to do grocery shopping tonight, mopped/vacuumed etc etc. So a bit tired.
I should have enough Winter clothes for the time we're there, just gotta make sure I don't over pack. As is my custom. haha Must leave lots of room for bringing souvenirs back for people. We are spending more time in Tokyo this time so we will have more time to choose some nice presents and have a look in places previously untouched. Conrad didn't get to see the oriental bazaar last time so we can hopefully take him there this time to have a look.
Last time we went to the oriental bazaar I bought a yukata (which I will wear once I get around to learning how to wrap it properly), but we also saw an interesting book we didn't end up buying (can't for the life of me think why) that I want to see is still there this time.
I've also been making a playlist for the plane ride to see if that'll help me sleep better. Mum wanted to buy another neck pillow but I think we already have a few lying around from the first time we went. We will have to have a look and see if we can find them.
So yeah, I will have more time to write about stuff tomorrow so here's the video for today:
Enjoy this hilarious dog eating a tasty dog. :3
C yas!
9:40pm 13/12
I should have enough Winter clothes for the time we're there, just gotta make sure I don't over pack. As is my custom. haha Must leave lots of room for bringing souvenirs back for people. We are spending more time in Tokyo this time so we will have more time to choose some nice presents and have a look in places previously untouched. Conrad didn't get to see the oriental bazaar last time so we can hopefully take him there this time to have a look.
Last time we went to the oriental bazaar I bought a yukata (which I will wear once I get around to learning how to wrap it properly), but we also saw an interesting book we didn't end up buying (can't for the life of me think why) that I want to see is still there this time.
I've also been making a playlist for the plane ride to see if that'll help me sleep better. Mum wanted to buy another neck pillow but I think we already have a few lying around from the first time we went. We will have to have a look and see if we can find them.
So yeah, I will have more time to write about stuff tomorrow so here's the video for today:
Enjoy this hilarious dog eating a tasty dog. :3
C yas!
9:40pm 13/12
Monday, December 12, 2011
31 days!
It is 31 days, 18 hours, 47 minutes and 43 seconds to be precise. Not that I'm counting. >.>
I'm really looking forward to this trip, hoping to get some snowboarding in this time. But I'll do it the first few days so if I injure myself I'll have time to recoop before heading back to Tokyo.
Mum's been basically working non-stop because the girl she jobshares with ruptured a disc in her back and needed an operation, so she'll be working pretty much non-stop until we leave. Luckily she gets 3 weeks off during X-mas. Dean will also likely be changing too when he gets back. I'm hoping to get a job as a casual so I can help save more for the trip, gonna try and drop as many resumes off as I can this week.
I'm not sure why but the date stamps on this post are showing a different time to what it actually is so ignore that. I'll date stamp it myself at the end of posts. (I haven't been using this blog at all, so I'm not sure of settings and stuff yet. Hopefully I will figure out how to change that and make my blog for JP awesome.)
Well, my cousin came up last week. We went shopping a lot, saw a movie, went to Sunnybank and bought tasty foods and I finally found an eye mask for the plane. You wouldn't think it'd be hard to find one, but they are only in luggage shops and were averaging around $7. But I found one for $3.80, and it has a nice pattern to it. Now basically what I need to get is vacuum packs for my snow gear, otherwise it's impossible to fit everything. Speaking of which here's my jacket and pants (I personally love them, but everyone has a difference in opinion):
http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/f-direct/item/11rltd_cheryi-jk/ The purple one of these jackets.
http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/f-direct/item/11rltd_eva-pt/ The yellow pants of this style.
My other snow gear was brown pants and white jacket, so you can imagine how happy I am to have such bright and unique snow clothes. Whoohoo!
We also found someone to watch our pets while we were away the other day which is good, will have to find her something nice in Japan as a thank you. :) Not sure what to get though. Maybe a nice hand bag or something.
Other than that I'm happy to finally have finished year 12 this year! Felt like forever, now need to start looking for work, hehe.
Well I'm off to eat something, so I will leave you to watch 2NE1's Choreography Practice for I am the best. I'm sure I'm not the only one who gets this song stuck in their head hehe
Oh and the finishing time for this post is 12:54pm on 12/12/2011. I'm off to get lunch. C ya!
I'm really looking forward to this trip, hoping to get some snowboarding in this time. But I'll do it the first few days so if I injure myself I'll have time to recoop before heading back to Tokyo.
Mum's been basically working non-stop because the girl she jobshares with ruptured a disc in her back and needed an operation, so she'll be working pretty much non-stop until we leave. Luckily she gets 3 weeks off during X-mas. Dean will also likely be changing too when he gets back. I'm hoping to get a job as a casual so I can help save more for the trip, gonna try and drop as many resumes off as I can this week.
I'm not sure why but the date stamps on this post are showing a different time to what it actually is so ignore that. I'll date stamp it myself at the end of posts. (I haven't been using this blog at all, so I'm not sure of settings and stuff yet. Hopefully I will figure out how to change that and make my blog for JP awesome.)
Well, my cousin came up last week. We went shopping a lot, saw a movie, went to Sunnybank and bought tasty foods and I finally found an eye mask for the plane. You wouldn't think it'd be hard to find one, but they are only in luggage shops and were averaging around $7. But I found one for $3.80, and it has a nice pattern to it. Now basically what I need to get is vacuum packs for my snow gear, otherwise it's impossible to fit everything. Speaking of which here's my jacket and pants (I personally love them, but everyone has a difference in opinion):
http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/f-direct/item/11rltd_cheryi-jk/ The purple one of these jackets.
http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/f-direct/item/11rltd_eva-pt/ The yellow pants of this style.
My other snow gear was brown pants and white jacket, so you can imagine how happy I am to have such bright and unique snow clothes. Whoohoo!
We also found someone to watch our pets while we were away the other day which is good, will have to find her something nice in Japan as a thank you. :) Not sure what to get though. Maybe a nice hand bag or something.
Other than that I'm happy to finally have finished year 12 this year! Felt like forever, now need to start looking for work, hehe.
Well I'm off to eat something, so I will leave you to watch 2NE1's Choreography Practice for I am the best. I'm sure I'm not the only one who gets this song stuck in their head hehe
Oh and the finishing time for this post is 12:54pm on 12/12/2011. I'm off to get lunch. C ya!
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