Japan Sword and Dinner

Today started off well. I met up with Matt at the subway again and we headed to Tokyo station first to take care of getting Shinkansen tickets for our trips to Osaka and Nara for the next two days. Then we headed over to Toranomon station to go to Japan Sword. We stopped at the little shrine right by the subway exit first and took some pictures, then we headed over. As remembered their collection was impecable. The guy who gave me and Isaac the tour last time was there but we didn't get a guided tour like last time. We did get to go up and see the second and third floors which are more like a museum. The second floor had many tanto, wakazashi, old guns, and fittings for swords that were really cool to look at. On the third floor they had ancient armor, bows, battle masks, large screens with battle scenes depicted and other things like that. I was sad that the armor for the horses I saw a few years back wasn't there anymore, maybe it was purchased. I found out the swords that I loved with the Mount Fuji pattern on them were sold. It's too be expected but I was still sad I didn't get to see them again. I picked up a couple of souvenirs and then waited while Matt debated buying a sword. He hemmed and hawed but in the end decided not to get one. Of course he can always buy one online from the store. The guy who gave us the tour last time was the one who rung me up and he also let me know that there was a biwa maker around the corner. Matt and I stopped in but I really didn't know what to say so after asking about the possibility of getting a biwa fixed we left. Then we stopped at a coffee shop because Matt was hungry. After that we went over to the area by the ANA hotel because I wanted to exchange some money but it seems the TravelEx in the Akasaka Twin Towers closed and so after being directed to one of their main offices I decided to just exchange my money in Shinjuku before the orientation meeting. Matt and I went our seperate ways, me back to the dorms to get ready and meet up with the others and Matt presumably back to the hotel. I got back in just enough time to change and get ready before we left for Shinjuku.

At Shinjuku, Yamamoto-san was actually running late and so since we had gotten there early I was easily able to exchange my money before we met up with her. After I changed some money, and Jeff too, we went upstairs from the TravelEx office to the MacDonald's. I ended up being the only one to get a snack of Shaka-shaka chicken and a small soda but it was fine. Then we went back to the train station to meet up with Yamamoto-san only to end up in the department store right back next to the MacDonald's. There was a cafe in the department store where we had our orientation meeting. I found Yamamoto-san to be a bit disorganized and while I know I'm here to help her out I felt like she was relying on me too much for help with things. But whatever, I feel better in the long run taking care of things myself. After the orientation she took us, along with her husband and Mr. Tanabe(who is apparently a publisher?) to the Tokyo Metropolitan Building so we could go up the North Tower for a nice view of Tokyo. Coincidentally I ran into Matt there. While we were all on line for the elevator to go up the tower Eddie said to me, "Hey, don't you know him?" And sure enough, I turn around and there is Matt. So I called him over and we decided that if it wasn't too late that we would try to go to perhaps Shibuya or something after my dinner.

After taking a quick look around up in the tower we headed back over toward Shinjuku station to the restaurant for the welcome dinner. At the dinner this year were Sasamoto-sensei, Nakamura-sensei, Miura-sensei, Komoda-sensei, Yagi-sensei (who will be filling in for Sasamoto-sensei while he is in Paris), and of course Yamamoto-san, her husband, Tanabe-san, and Professor Ruch. Dinner was very nice and went very smoothly. At some point Jeff and Komoda-sensei had a discussion which led to Jeff going to her house after dinner, it was closeby, to pick up a biwa so he could use it for practice and lessons at Musashino. After he left the rest of us (sans the senseis and Prof. Ruch who had all left) walked around by Shinjuku station a bit and took some pictures. Then we headed to the station so that the three of us could meet Jeff at Ikebukuro station on the way back to the dorms. As it turned out he got on an express train before we got to Ikebukuro and the three of us went right to Akabane. We lost Jiahe as she got on a train before Eddie or I could but then we found Jeff. So in the end we all made it back all right. Before we had left the restaurant though I let Matt know that I wasn't feeling too well and that I was going to go back and rest before the long weekend of sightseeing in Osaka and Nara. I think it was a good decision since I hadn't been feeling well in the morning either.

Well tomorrow is Osaka aquarium, the ferris wheel, and then Kobe for the long awaited steakhouse meal.

Jya!