Mt Fuji

The main point of this post shall be Mt. Fuji, or in Japanese- Fujisan.

Wow, what a trip! Hans almost died, and I, at one time, had charlie-horses in both of my quads, and Tetuya had a headache.

Fujisan, while beautiful from afar, will give you a good mixture of dizziness and sores that makes the experience of climbing it unforgettable.

I think Saturday (this trip) would make it on a list of 10-Most Tired Days in My Life.

I think I saw the trip guide Tetuya gave me, and it said that the route that we took would take 4 hours to reach the summit. What a lie! We took 7, and we were definitely one of the faster groups on the route. We met a group of girls an hour before we reached the top. We rested on the top for an hour and half, and 1 hour into our trip down, we saw them still busily making their way up. One of them looked like she was working in one of those gulag concentration camps in Stalinist Russia. I was going to ask them, "Doo site?", which means "Why" in Japanese, because they look like they were trying to torture themselves.



The trip started great, if I recall correctly. I don't want the dim memories of the latter part to affect my ability to recount objectively, so I will say that I enjoyed the first half hour. It was a beautiful weekend morning, with crisp air and friends. Because we were bitched by the security dude who told us that we had to park almost 3 miles from the 5th station, which is the start of our trip, we had to walk the first hour on concrete road. The route is divided into stations. 5 is the start, and 10 is the summit. For the moment, I thought that it was lame, who climbs a mountain on concrete? But on our way back, God did I love that concrete.



We made our way up to the 7th station rather quickly. With intuition, Hans and I concluded then that it wouldn't be so bad to get to the top. We were joking and laughing about how fit we were and that we would definitely get there quicker than what others told us. 7 hours? We probably get there in 4, like the guide said. Yeah, those idiotic thoughts evaporated rather quickly one hour later. Turns out, the 7th station was the "new" 7th, the real "7th" was an hour higher, and that was only 2/5 of hour trip. After 7th, I felt tired and little sick. After 8th, I had a cramp in my left quad, the weaker one. After 9th, I had cramps in both quads and a mild headache. When I got to the top, I slept for most part. I only took about 10 minutes to take pictures of the crater. I didn't even bother to visit the Shinto Temple that Tetuya was telling me about.

After the real 7th, my entire memory is a blur of frustration, soreness, and dizziness. I never thought about quitting, but "why" was as much of a question to me as to those girls. It was a Saturday. Most people in the academy are probably just getting up and starting to think about the night activities, while I am here laboring myself beyond exhaustion. It is true, when we were coming down, I was tired to the point that I didn't feel tired. My mind was blank, and I walked where there was road. I didn't think, I did. I truly felt "zen" for a moment.

I also had water and food problems. I brought 5000 yen. I felt that souvenir from Mt. Fuji would not be necessary since it's a mountain. Pictures would be enough. In the end, my only souvenir, and in my opinion, probably the most sentimental souvenir that I have would be the stick that I bought on 7th to facilitate climbing. It represents all the energy that I expended in propelling myself upward. After spending 1100 on the stick, I had only 2,000 left. I spent all of that buying water, because 1 bottle costed 500. It was truly a monopoly up there. Consumer demand was vertically inelastic, it was either life or money. And the store owners knew that, they could price water at 1,000, and I still would have bought it. Restroom also cost money. I thought that it was a so much BS, so I only put in 1,00 yen in the machine, when a woman came out, so I went in without paying the other 1,00 like I was supposed to do. I thought that I was righteous, I was defending humanity from corporate greed. What is this? People asking money for using the John. Pure nonsense.



We got to the summit around 3:30 PM. I fell down and slept on jagged rocks for about 50 minutes. I had a mild headache due to the altitude, about 4000 meters, and was tired beyond comprehension. I got up 10 minutes before going down to take pictures and sightsee the crater. Honestly, I thought the top was disappointing. There was a crater with no lava and a decrepit shrine that proclaimed "top of Japan." I thought that I deserved more for climbing 7 hours on slipper surface and inappropriate shoes. I was slipping here and there, and it was fortunate that I did not break my butt when I was coming down. Hans almost did though, several times. He didn't believe that walking sideways was helpful, so he toyed with his ass bone for 2 hours.

This would probably mark the most memorable day of my stay in Japan. We, as human, definitely remember best the days of hardship. I think the memories of nights in Roppongi or Kabukicho would be dimmed in relationship to the memory of Fujisan, especially because this is the 2nd to last weekend. In retrospect, I am fond of this memory, just as I am fond of the days before finals in the first semester this year. I did something special, and truly put myself through to the end. I am going to be proud of these pictures that I took on the mountain when I go back home. It speaks for a remarkable accomplishment.

Kyoto and Roppongi

Since the last blog, time has been flying here in Tokyo!

I have been thinking that summer has been moving slow for the most part since I came to Japan. We go to class from 9 to 1, and I come home, take a nap, and do homework. I eat dinner with friends (I hate eating alone), watch TV, and go to sleep. On the weekends, I either travel or go to Roppongi. It felt like a pretty good routine. ..

But then I go to Kyoto, Kobe, visit Nishimura sensei. I come back, it's Monday. I take Tuesday off because I wasn't feeling well and we get 2 days from the Academy. I went to school for only 3 days last week, and I realize there's only 2 more weeks left!

I had so much fun in Tokyo this summer. Everyone here at SANC is so awesome. I'm glad I had the chance to meet these kids. But time is running out, and summer is coming to an end. I am sad.

Ok, enough of this emo stuff. Let's get to the details.
In Kyoto last weekend, we visited 5 temples. From Buddhist temple to Daoist temple, to the Golden temple and the Castle, I got into intimate touch with the traditional Japanese culture. It was a nice break from the make-ups, high-heels, and orange hair of Shibuya and Shinjuku. People in Kyoto and Kobe would not fit the imaginations of foreigners when they think about Japan. They wear normal clothes, keep their natural hair color, and don't walk around in shopping malls all day going on crazy spending sprees.


We went to a nice bar in Kyoto last Saturday night. We walked around for 30 minutes, and couldn't find a club that fit over 10 people. The bars there were cozy and smokey. A place fit for intimate conversations, rather than flamboyant metro dancing. I kept my eyes peeled for cute girls, but instead, we got dragged into a conversation with some Kyoto-zin softball players. I used to think soft ball was only for girls, but I guess I was wrong. These guys threw pitches underhand and looked decently straight, so I'll make that mental note.

After Kyoto, it was Nishimura time in Koobe! We met her in Kobe station just like always- paranoid smile, crazy antics, and a combination of running and walking. Nishimura sensei is never running or walking, she always seems like she's doing both. Anyways, it was great meeting her.

She took us to this rou-chuan restaurant (I labeled that in Chinese; for those English-speakers, I mean restaurants where you get meat and vegetable on a stick, you fry them and eat as much as possible in an hour and thirty minutes). It was delicious and fulfilling. Hardly ever do I get the chance to get full in Japan, because everything is so small and expensive here, but that was a good night.



She then took us to an Onsen, which is a bath, the same that Tetuya took me to a month ago. Naked asian male in rows washing themselves... Lol
We slept over at her crib in Kobe. It was so much better than the crappy hostel that I reserved in Kyoto, small, smelly, and not exactly clean as well. Nishimura sensei was so nice, hosting us. We watched transformers on her big screen TV, with Bose-quality surround sound, and the company of her ultra-cute son. Going back to Tokyo on Monday and waving good-bye to the Nishimura family was hard.

Moving on to this week in Roppongi.

I went there 3 times this week, every time making a stop at 911. I think the waitress there knows me and hates me. I've never bought a drink there, and if I am in my right mind, I never will. What's the point of drinking if it costs 10 dollars. I have vodka in my own fridge. And the drinks in Japan tastes horrible anyways. I am not falling into that hole.
But obviously, if bar owners want to see that profit margin, then they have to kick young, broke brothers like me out. I am definitely not contributing to their wallet.

Fortunately, the girls of SANC are nice enough to the guys. The 911 staff kicked one of the guys out this friday for repeatedly not buying drinks, and the girls moved out in unison. It was great. This move costed the night club a big effort on the dance floor. We were drawing heads from left to right, we were obviously the center of attention on that stage. Lol

I met Tetuya again yesterday en route to Roppongi. He bought a friend with him, so I left him alone with her for the most part. I tried the whole ordeal with approaching Japanese girls at Heartland, and I think I did well. I "hooked the set," and only "ejected" because they were too old for my age and my friends were leaving.

It was some great fun. We came home around 3 AM because waiting for the subway was too much. Subways starts again at 5:30 AM, and these Japanese people, for the most part, will party until that time. Isn't that silly?

The light fellowship gives us the permission of one week off our blog at whatever time in the summer. I guess I took a week off last week. It's been 10 days since I wrote my last entry post, and jeez, a lot of things have happened between now and then.

Well, once again, since the title of the blog is TokyoNightFiles, I will write mainly about what happened at night and not bore you with the mundane happenings of the day.

For the entirety of last week, our main focus was Kabukicho, the red-light district of Tokyo.
If I remember correctly, I have been there 5 times now.

1st time, two other students at the Academy and I were looking for a gym to join. We traversed across Kabukicho without realizing it. I only came to this conclusion now, probably a month later.

2nd time. Hans and I were going to the Gym early in the morning to workout. Unfortunately for us that day, the Gym was having its day off, so we basically woke up two and half hours before we needed and had nothing to do. I suggested going to Kabukicho to chill since it sounded like a popular place to be. We head over, and I realize that it was the same place with all the love hotels when we were looking for a gym. I saw a basketball court and made a mental note to myself. Even though the streets of Kabukicho was empty and quiet, it was a morning on a Thursday.

3rd time, Atish, a fellow student at the academy, and I are both avid basketball fans and players. We both have not even touched a ball since coming to Japan. We were desperate to get some action on the streets. We first traversed to Shinjuku. Atish remembers that there was a respectable street court in the middle of a group of tall buildings. However, as we made our way to the court, we saw that it was actually a dirt court, and no one was playing there. And the height of the rim was also highly questionable. I then suggested Kabukicho since I remember clearly that there was a court there. We make our ways and see that the condition in Kabukicho is no different- dirt court, no one playing, and there were even construction tools lying around. I was disappointed and beaten up. We have just spent over 3 hours looking for a basketball court in the street of Tokyo and failed miserably. I don't think basketball is going to happen, at least until when I head back to Houston.

4th time, last Friday night. We just had our midterm, and were in the mood to celebrate. Hans and I head to Kabukicho because Roppogi seemed trite and over-done. Plus, apparently I am the only person out of the whole group who likes it and have fond memories of going there. Others refer to it as the despicable place in the middle of Tokyo that belongs to Las Vegas, or New Orleans or something.
This is the 1st time that I came here at night time, when it's supposed to be active.
I will leave most of the details out, because it doesn't sound appropriate, but even censored, Kabukicho is an interesting place.
I had over 10 guys, of either Japanese or Nigerian nationality, approach me on Friday night about prostitution. They have the ability to look at me and tell that I have a foreigner, "Gaizin." I am proud and happy to say that I rejected every time, because prostitution is not my cup of tea, but it was in all endearing. Having spent nearly all of my life making approaches on others in the club or bar, this is the first time where I had the tables turn on me.

5th time, the next night, Saturday.
We had a lot of friends come over this time. A friend made her way from Yokohama, and 2 others from Hong Kong. We had a blast.


I think this should be good evidence of the blast that we had.












I once again had guys in suits approach me from left to right the entire night, and it never gets old. I still cannot understand why women can think getting approached is annoying. I find it flattering and nice.

Besides Kabukicho, another worthwhile activity that went down is our elementary school visit. I had the honor of visiting the 4-2 class, which means 4th grade, class number 2. The numbering system is exactly the same as China, and the entire experience reminds me of my own childhood days. In fact, I had multiple flashbacks during the day.

Those kids were great. I had the perfect age, around 10. They are mature enough to not cry and not around in circles all the time, but not old enough to have lost their innocence to puberty.
They surrounded me with gifts and letters, and the class as a whole even asked about my romantic situations. Whether I had a girlfriend, how was she like. They were so cute! It was beyond words.


I found that there were Chinese and Korean kids in my class. They didn't stick out since Asians don't look much different across nationalities, but it reminded me of my own journeys.



I had so much fun the whole day. I never concerned or stressed myself with coming up with games to play or words to say. Others in the program always complained about not finding the right games to play, and it surprised me. Come on guys! They're kids. If you love them and show it, it doesn't matter what game you play. They'll love you back. That's exactly what I did.
I smiled and acted like a goof the whole time, and made it entertaining for the kids. And they loved me.

We visited Kamakura this weekend!

Kamaura is a historic Japanese city with a ton of culture. It was the capital of Japan back in the old days. Right now, it is nowhere near the size of Tokyo or Yokohama, but it's got a lot of shrines and old temples.

We first visited the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shrine. It reminded of old Chinese temples in the beginning, and in some aspects, it is like Chinese temples. Same architectural qualities, lots of kanzi, and similar historical background.

We had to clean our hands with the shrine water. I think that it is deemed holy and pure. We could drink it as well. Very interseting.

After that, we hit up the shopping district, Komachi-dori. It featured a variety of traditional Japanese toys, snacks, and gifts. I bought a post card for my mom. I think she would like this surprise, because I have never sent her a post card before.

Tugi (next), we visited Hase-dera temple. It is believed to have been built before the Kamakura period, which is in the 1200s. It is a huge buddhist statue, with closed eyes and big ear lobes. I saw a bigger buddhist statue in China last year, but the interesting thing about this one is that we can go inside the statue.



Chinese Budda

Japanese Buddha

I have the big midterm coming next Friday, so I have to go study. Our grades are apparently dependent on these big tests. To sum it up, this weekend was also another fun non-Roppongi adventure. I miss Roppongi now.

Sunday June 29, Rainy

I feel like this is the first blog post in which I don’t have to elaborate about Roppongi. Why? Because we had home stay! Home stay for those of you who has never heard about or done it, is a program where foreign students experience the full breadth of a new culture by living with a native family in the foreign country. I have to admit that this is my first experience with home stay. I didn’t know what to make of it before I stepped on the train bound for Yokohama, the town of my host family.

Yokohama is apparently the second largest city in Japan. For a place of such size and importance, it is strange that I have not heard about it as much as Tokyo, Kyoto, or Osaka. It is a city about 50 miles southeast of Tokyo, and carries a special importance from its role in World War II. While the night life of Yokohama cannot rack up again the feisty air of the foreigner-infested sites of Tokyo like Roppongi or Shinjuku, Yokohama had much to offer, from its Chinatown, the largest in Japan, to the many skilled street performers that would put those in Harajuku to shame.

I met my host in the train station in Yokohama on Friday afternoon. His name is Tetuya, and I thought that he did not look particularly Japanese from the first glance because of his dress and hairstyle. Unlike the Tokyo salary men, who make others feel rather more uncomfortable than anything else with their suits and leather shoes, Tetuya dressed like an American. His normal, un-dyed hair also did not conform to the current Asian frenzy of highlighting hair with unorthodox color, like blue. I would eventually come to find out that he is an electrician, which explains for his dress. And that he isn’t as young as he looks, which explains for the hair color. He walked me back to his home and introduced me to his family- his mother, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew. They were great people and received my present well, even though I thought that it was badly chosen gift.

On Friday night, Tetuya took me to a traditional Japanese bath, “Ohuro.” I learned the word at Yale, “Ohuro ni hairu,” which means enter the bath, but I only made the connection when I saw the printed hiragana on the door of the bath house. I didn’t imagine that many people would be interested in going to a public bath when they had shower in their homes, but when I arrived in the packed parking lot of the bath house, I realized that my Japanese textbook taught “Ohuro ni hairu” for a reason- the Japanese “Ohuro” is very “Ninki” (Another new, useful word that I learned which means “popular.” Tetuya gave me a smart and amusing way to memorize it- “Ninki” sounds similar to “Nike,” which is popular in America.)

I have never seen such a sight before when I first entered the bath house. Rows after rows of naked Asian men washing themselves… Haha! For all the girls reading this blog, the last sentence was not supposed to be as disgusting as it sounds. After all, it wasn’t bad; the sight of other naked male did not interfere with my ability to have fun and engage in an intellectual conversation with Tetuya. While we were there, we talked about many things- activities in spare time, Japan, politics, economics, and women. I could not make up my mind about Tetuya until the bath house, but I found during our conversations there that we had commonalities. He was also nice when showing me around the bath house and the equipments there. There were hot baths, cold baths, out door baths, saunas, and massage bath. I could not stay in any of them long, because 5 minutes would give me a headache. However, Tetuya was understanding, and we left before the hot water made me uncomfortable. In the end, I felt that it was a wonderful experience; it gave me a refreshed feeling after a long day of work and commute. When I got home, I hit the hay quickly.

The next day, a Saturday, Tetuya took me to Yokohama proper to see another aspect of Japanese cities. We first went on a ferry ride, which arrived in Yokohama port. The port was symbolic of the Japanese navy, and there was a majestic battle ship docked in the port. I forgot to bring my camera to home stay, and so I had to take photos using Tetuya’s awesome phone, which could be used to watch television. I guess I cannot post it on this blog, but for all of you who know me, I will upload of them onto my facebook. We then met his friend, a Chinese girl from Singapore. I didn’t know whether they were dating or not, so it was kind of awkward in the beginning. She stayed with us the entire day, and because I drank with her later, I felt more natural with her during the night. We strolled around Chinatown, and I had Chinese food for lunch for the first time in two weeks. It felt delicious and relieving. Chinese food to me is a drug; I get chills from not having it for a long time. Japan is the first place I went to in which Chinese food is deemed more expensive and rare than other food. Before leaving America, I never thought I would live to see the day that Chinese food can be anything other than cheap and delicious. In Japan, it was still delicious, but the price rolled my eyeballs out of their sockets.

In the afternoon, Tetuya, his girl friend, and I strolled around Yokohama and chatted. The day was cool and relaxing, and I had fun talking to the two of them. We saw an awesome street performance! Although I can testify that most of the tricks he showed are Chinese tricks and thus common in China, the man injected humor and interactions with the crowed to his performance. Even though I understood nothing that he said, he seemed sociable and fun. Because Tetuya knew when it was time for a new street show, we got front seats, and I witnessed his tricks from only 4-5 feet away. I took many pictures of this guy, and I felt like they could not capture the fun atmosphere of the show.

When night time came around, Tetuya took us to a local bar in the night neighborhood of Yokohama. We talked about life and played some games. The drinks there were weak, and so I felt great even after drinking two glasses of rum and coke. Two glasses of those in America would give anyone a buzz, but I felt only a little warmth from them last night. Before we knew it, it was getting late, and the girl had to go back to Tokyo. We escorted her to the train station, and Tetuya had to instruct her on how to get back home. She was mad at him in the beginning because he gave bad directions (or she thought that he gave bad directions), so Tetuya had to make sure this time around that she knew how to find her way home. After seeing her off, Tetuya and I came home, and once again, I rolled to sleep quickly because of the long and fun day.

Before I knew it, home stay was over and it is today, Sunday, and I had to get back to my apartment in Shinjuku. I slept today for 10 hours and woke up refreshed and feeling lazy. I once again enjoyed the cooked meal that is not a Vendo at Tetuya’s house before leaving for Shinjuku.

I will see Tetuya again in my stay in Japan. We had fun and came to see that we shared many commonalities. He also spoke English, and so I could communicate with him easily about abstract ideas. We talked and agreed that Mt. Fuji would be a good spot for our next adventures. Until then, Ciao!

Sunday June 22,
I can never get around to posting the blog until the last moment. There are just so many things to do here; it's truly amazing.

I joined a gym this week along with two other members of our academy. It actually cost quite a bit, and we were determined to make the full use of our membership. We signed the morning session also to save money. So this week, we all woke up at 6:30AM for three days and dragged ourselves through the workout and later, class. My sleep schedule has been really messed up. It is kind of divided into 2 halves. One is the 5 hour block at night, and the other is the approximately 2-3 hour in the afternoon after I get back from class. I really want to change this so that I get a full 8 hours at night and get through the day with more energy.

The weekend was once again a blast. We had the tea ceremony, a traditional look into how a Japanese "otera", or temple carries out one of its most revered and oldest event.


Here is one of the lovely ladies of the "otera" methodically making tea. The way she was doing this could have taken us several more days if she wanted to drag it on, but fortunately she was "responsible" enough to only do this twice in front of us. I don't think that many people liked the tea anyways; it was way too strong. However, the experience of watching her more than made up for the painful process of waiting. I figured out that she had to get up, kneel, sit, and walk in a special manner. She never stepped on the blue border where the different tatami pieces on the floor join up. Also, she only cuts diagonally through corners. It was in all very interesting.

On both Friday and Saturday night, we went out to experience the Tokyo night life. Friday, we once again went to Roppongi, a haven for foreigners in Japan trolling on the street for local talent. I basically have a great time in Roppongi every night that I go. The foreigners seem to have a secret code- when we pass each other by, everyone in the group yell out "hey!!" and drag it on for about 10 seconds even if no one of either group know anyone from the other. It was funny every time. The only bad part of the night was that when we were leaving our last bar, it was pouring and 3 o'clock in the morning. We first decided to wait around until the rain died down, but our friend from an exchange interview session, Lee-San, told us that the weather forecast predicted that the rain will last all night. So we made the wise decision to take the taxi home. What it's even more wise is that when we got off the cab, Lee-san found a "10000" yen bill, equivalent to $100, on the street. It compensated fully for the taxi fare and left us some more.

(This is a picture of us sitting on the street waiting for the rain to pass).


On Saturday night, we went to KARAOKE! It was yet one of the best experience in Tokyo. Everyone had so much fun. Especially for some of us who haven't done it before, doing it for the first time in Tokyo, where it was probably invented, was a fulfilling experience. We were lucky enough to find a relatively cheap place to sing, because we had the company of my Japanese buddy, Satoru. He led us through the streets of Shinjuku and hand-picked this venue for us. It was very sweet of him, and all of us remembered him well when he sang a Japanese song (I forgot the name.)

Next week is homestay! I can't wait to meet my host family, but before that, I need to buy a gift. Any ideas?

Well, I just made it here this Thursday. As I am writing this now, it is currently 11 PM at night on Sunday. The past 4 days have been awesome.

I am trying the best I can to capture each and every moment worth mentioning, but it will probably still feel like a water-down list of summary just because so many things happened.

Thursday-
I felt really excited about the trip before it even started. When I finally landed in Tokyo, I started feeling the impending realization of what is about to happen. For the time period between I settled on doing the Light Fellowship and now, I have not yet thought carefully on the what to expect in Japan. I thought I would do great, and it would just be like a trip to Florida or something. However, as I came down from the plane, the immediate experience with immigration control and customs made me feel isolated and lost. This is a country that I have never been to, with a language that I don't really know how to speak. I was scared for a second, but I regained my composure quickly when fellow Yalies came into the picture. I still had friends, and together, rather than alone, I shall take on the challenge of penetrating into a foreign culture.


I went to sleep quickly on Thursday in preparations for the diagnostic test. Even though I knew to my heart that it probably would not determine that much of my reputation in the academy, I had to leave a good first impression.

I wanted to visit Club eX in the Shinagawa Prince hotel, the hotel in which our language academy generously reserved rooms for us. However, jet lag got the best of me, and I had to settle for a good night's sleep.

Friday
-- The test didn't go that bad at all. Although it tested many things that I have not learned in class, I felt that I performed well. It was enough to justify a night out partying. So we went out to Roppongi, Tokyo's clubbing nucleus, for a Light Fellows' bonding experience.


The bars were just like in America, the people- an entirely different world. Let me begin by reiterating a famous saying- "Don't judge a book by it's cover."

Japanese people look reserved and cautious, but that's only for the show on the streets. Go to any Japanese bar or club, and you will find the contrary. These people are wild and crazy; they crave for a good time. We danced until around 12 AM and left for the last train. It was a great time, and I jumped into bed without taking my clothes off.

Saturday
-- No classes.
We went to Roppongi again, and it was pretty much the same thing except wilder and crazier. I was actually approached by a Japanese girl. Never have I had this experience, where I didn't have to do anything, and a girl comes to me. I didn't know what to think of it, and later decided that it was not really as cool as I imagined it to be.

I later talked to some other girls sitting at a table, and fully expressed my inability to generate comprehensible sentences in Japanese. Surprisingly, they said that I was "zyoozu", which meant skilled. I felt very flattered, but I didn't think that they were telling me the truth.

We decided that the partying should conclude at 3 AM, but felt hat it was too expensive to take a taxi back. So we stopped over at a Ramen place and enjoyed some mid-night, or shall I say early morning, snack. I came out of the store and notice immediately that dawn was quickly approaching. I take a look on the street and notice that Roppongi is livelier than ever at 4 AM in the morning. Never had I witness this before. Even in Time Square, at 4 AM, the streets will seem more deserted than at day time, but Roppongi is somehow more crowded now than in the day. Another Light Fellow, already experienced with Tokyo-style partying, told me that the night starts at 12 AM and ends whenever you want it too. I now truly admired the spirit of the Japanese for whatever it is that they do- cars, video games, and now- partying.

I had a lot of fun, and again came back home and fell asleep without taking any of my clothes off.