Earthquake and More

I know I haven't updated in awhile. I just haven't really done too many interesting things.

This morning I was woken by my bed shaking. And not just a little shaking, it was shaking somewhat hard - enough so that the noise woke me up and made me thing, "Wtfh is going on?" So I jump down, whip out my laptop and USGS (my faithful friend on anything tectonic related) said that there had been an earthquake of 5.0 magnitude in Narita, Japan. Which is about 35-37 miles away. Nothing fell or anything, but it was still like...o.o" I experienced my first ever earthquake - in Japan. Please see the below link for further information.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Maps/10/140_35.php

I don't think I mentioned this, but I will NOT be going to Fuji. I want to, but financial constraints prevent me from going. It's because I hadn't prepared for a trip to Fuji before I got here (it was kind of last minute and wasn't in the original plans). If I were to go, I would need warm clothes (like winter-warm including gloves, a wind-breaker, a long-sleeved shirt, pants, leggings), a waterproof backpack as weather can be unpredictable at the summit and possibly different shoes. I need something to "protect my ankles" as the guide said and sneakers don't really do the trick. If I were to get that here, it'd be around $300 worth of stuff that I'd have to take back with me - and I hardly have room as it is.

On Tuesday I ended up seeing a movie. Two movies actually. The first was a Studio Ghibli remake of The Borrowers called Karigurashi no Ariettei. It was absolutely adorable and I ended up buying playing cards with the characters on them. So cute~ <3 The second was because I needed a dose of English and so I watched The Last Airbender, which is rather crappy. I'd say the boy was okay and Zuko was okay, but Sokka and Katara suck.

In some of the fancier places, public toilets not only have heated seats, but they also play water sounds to "help" you.

On Tuesday, I met some kids from Illinois here on a Japanese class trip. Their names were Abby and Ian - I enjoyed their company, even if it was only for an hour and a half. I shall miss them, I think.

I've surprised Japanese people by knowing hiragana. ^^" They assume foreigners don't know anything about their language or culture, usually.

I talked to a few high school girls, although I think I made them uncomfortable. Their names were Kika, Eriko and Momoka. Kika talked the most because she was the best at English, but the others talked too. I think it was just because they were shy. We compared high schools and life. They were very surprised America has so much crime. They were surprised that it takes me only 20 minutes by school bus to get to school - but I was surprised it takes them on average 70 minutes by train/walking. They were also surprised Americans don't sleep on trains often.

Don't ever eat hot dogs in Japan. They are ALWAYS suspicious.

I went to the Imperial Palace on Wednesday, which was pretty neat. It was about 37 degrees (99F) there and you were drenched with sweat after just 10 minutes outside, not even doing anything but walking. I took pictures, but to be honest, there just wasn't that much to take pictures of. You were only shown 4 buildings, one of which was a bridge.

I've noticed 2 patches of 3x3 dots on children under the age of 2. I've no clue what it is, but I assume it's some kind of illness test?

In Japan, there is never any sugar to put in tea. You'll always find "syrup" which is sugary water. It's because sugar doesn't dissolve well into cold drinks.

I bought an Obi (sash) for my Yukata. See my FB for pictures.

They literally wash the streets daily in Japan. Storekeepers will wash the ground outside of their shop. By wash, I mean spraying with a hose, scrubbing with a broom and then spraying again. I assume this is to prevent their shop floor from getting dirty.

I like green apple ice cream and cream cheese/raspberry ice cream.