Winter Vacation, December 26 - 31

Wednesday, December 26
And then it was morning. We met Jamie at Tokyo Station. She had traveled by plane that morning from Fukuoka, and we had planned that we would wait for her. Instead, she met us on the platform for Mitaka; from there, we rushed to make our reserved arrival time at 三鷹の森ジブリ美術館 (known in English as the Studio Ghibli Museum).

The museum was AMAZING. It's the physical realization of worlds that I fall in love with each time I watch one of Miyazaki Hayao's films, and I could quite possibly live there. We began with lunch at the Straw Hat Café. Lauren and I shared the katsu sandwich and ate soups with baked pastry caps. We girls shared three desserts. Everything was delicious.

Once full, we wandered through the complex, with Jamie and me ooh-ing and ahh-ing loudly in each new room. We've worshiped Studio Ghibli films even longer than we've been friends, and years ago, we agreed that we would visit the museum. We bought plenty of goodies at the gift shop, watched a short film about a boy who grows a planet in a flowerpot, and attempted to ride the Cat Bus. Animation museums encourage young people to be curious, to love nature, and to love art. I wanted the official Ghibli Paint Set, but it was 5000 yen, and Chris promises to buy me art supplies elsewhere.

Jamie loves her katsu sandwich.

We couldn't decide on a single dessert, so we shared three.

Jamie and me with a lovable robot from Laputa.

Me and Jamie with Totoro, our favorite Ghibli character.

From the museum, we checked into our hotel in Asakusa. We had dinner at Freshness Burger and checked out a nearby mini mall before settling in for the night.

Thursday, December 27
We all woke up early and went down the street to Denny’s for good Western style breakfasts. Mmm pancakes. Americans make the most calorie-high and DELICIOUS morning foods.

We parted ways for the day. Jamie and I went to Harajuku! As mentioned before, Harajuku is one of my favorite places in Tokyo, as it’s always filled with quirky people and sights to see. I spotted kitten sweaters that I wore in the '80s, now trendily labeled as "vintage," being sold for 3000 yen.

We had lunch at the much loved Sad Café, where I had the chicken lunch set and a Corona. We later met Jamie’s friend Wendy, another ALT in Fukuoka. Wendy was killing time before her boyfriend arrived in Tokyo. We girls shopped around and took purikura. They ate the crepes to 竹下通り, but I was too full!

In the evening, we returned to Asakusa, where our group all gathered together for dinner. Chris Kilmer, a college friend of Chris's, joined us too. We ate at a restaurant in the mini mall. Chris and I shared shabu shabu. We picked up donuts then returned to the hotel.

Mmm, crepes.

Jamie and I modeled the cheap boots we bought. She is such a superstar. And I always look like a doof.

Chris has the most classic expressions when I'm trying to take pictures and he's anxious to eat.

Friday, December 28
Jamie and I could barely fall asleep the night before. Friday was DISNEYLAND DAY. We woke up before the sun rose. We left early so that we would arrive early at Maihama to buy our tickets and stand in line. Our strategy was smart because we were able to catch a crapload of rides before 12.

It was dark and early, but we were already jumping and screaming.

Bagels for breakfast in front of the ticket booth.

We're waiting to get in! Our strategy was to push children down to block the crowds.

The Haunted Mansion was Nightmare Before Christmas-themed. LOVE.

This tiny worker guy was outside It's a Small World.

Jamie bought a churro. I bought an enormous bucket of popcorn that I carried on a strap around my body. Disneyland is all about the eats.

The most adorable lunchbox. I couldn't have cared less what was inside, but it was delicious anyway.

Minnie Mouse being mobbed.

I just thought this couple, with their matching Tigger hats was adorable. It's what I'd like to be when I'm older.

In the evening, we met up with Lewis and Clark people for dinner at a Nepalese restaurant. The food was delicious. I’m always happy to have international food. Jamie and I left early since we were both exhausted, but the others stayed out for awhile.

Saturday, December 29
We woke up early again, though we set out later than the previous day. This time, Lauren and Chris joined us. Nat trekked out to Odaiba for the Comiket Convention. We arrived later and it was rainy, but we still got to ride.

DisneySea, as its name indicates, features waterfront locations from around the world. Here is the Mediterranean-themed harbor, lined with shops and Italian restaurants.

Raging Spirits. It looks so cool, but I was so scared for my stomach.

Possibly one of the worst pictures I've taken. Ever. But I'm eating the most delicious chicken leg. Ever.

Chicken-eating cat. With Chris's foot.

DisneySea sells assorted popcorn flavors (plus collectible buckets) around the park. After sampling a few (cappuccino and sea salt), we unanimously decided that our flavor of the day was black pepper popcorn. We ate maybe three or four buckets of it.

My new boyfriend.

The Tooower of Teeerror. Located in AmericaLand.

A view of the American waterfront.

Sunday, December 30
By the time Jamie and I woke up, Lauren had checked out and left to meet friends, and Nat had left for comiket. Along with Chris, we hung around the hotel, packing and watching a drama on TV. Sadly, we eventually discovered that there were no lockers available at Tokyo Station (from where we would be leaving). We instead found lockers at Shimbashi before heading to Odaiba. We spent the day in the area, just wandering around. Jamie and I took plenty of purikura.

In the evening, we said goodbye to Jamie. And I only almost cried this time.

At Tokyo Station, we found a small restaurant where we ate bowls of ochazuke as a snack before getting back onto the Evil Bus.

Monday, December 31
We arrived on time, and we were exhausted. We headed straight home.

For dinner, I cooked misoyaki butterfish and served a platter of assorted unhealthy items from Co-op. We attempted to watch the annual Red and White Songfest, but the sound on my TV decided to stop working that night. Crappy. We celebrated the new year eating soba, for which I messed up the measurements on the dashi. Happy 大晦日, y'all.