The story about Hachiko is actually really sad. I'll get to that further down.
I went to Itako Monday and that day was actually the first day I took the train myself.
That. Was. Scary.
Not that the train was scary or anything, I love the train, it was just I was first scared that I got the wrong ticket (Okaa-san just dropped me off at the station) and then I was a little worried about which train to take. So, I was pretty confident of myself to be able to get my ticket to Mito. I knew pretty much how to do it and I knew the kanji for Mito (if I didn't know that I'd be screwed completely) so I was sure I could do it. To get your ticket though, on the touch screen you have to touch a price number. Your destination isn't on it. Above the machine is a huge train map and that's where you look for your destination and then you just touch whatever number it says next to it. I could handle that. But I couldn't find Mito on the map and I'm 100% sure of it's kanji (I could write it even, it's sooo easy) so it's not like I maybe was mistaken or something. Then I did find Mito but then it said like 1,000 something yen. Huh?? That's wayyy too expensive and the other times I went to Mito it was only like 500 yen. So, I asked this guy behind me. He looked like he didn't even want to get involved with speaking with a foreigner, like he looked scared. But I asked him (my first time asking a stranger for help, yay!) and he pointed on the map where Mito was and told me the price. NOW I saw Mito and it was only 480 yen. I was in thought after that though and I guess it seemed to him like I didn't understand what the hell he said, but I did. So then he just touched the screen's price for me but that was by accident.
I then just put my money in and got my ticket. What I was then worried about was what if, since he touched the screen by accident, that was actually the wrong button he pressed? So that got me worried. I was pretty sure I was on the right track side for the right train. Once I got on the train though I was worried. Every other time I went to Mito, right above the doors of the train's inside was a screen and it would say the next stop on it. In Japanese AND English, and an announcement was even made in English. But not on this train. There was no screen on the train and the conductor made the announcements which was bad 'cause he sounded super stuffy in the speakers, hard to understand. I was really testing my Japanese listening skills just with that. Even when he said Mito it sounded like he added something to it, making me unsure if there were 2 different Mito stops. Luckly I was alright. My ticket was fine and my stop was right.
Yuki met me at the train entrance. Yuki is the girl who went to America as an exchange student last year. I have pictures of her in my Rotary album. But she looked so different yesterday! Her hair was shorter now but still, I seriously didn't reconize her. Her mom was there too. Geeze, that entire day I felt so bad for her mom. She was hardly in the conversations (actually none at all really) because it was all English. Yuki's English was pretty much amazing, I'm surprised it's still glued to her so well. It was nice to talk to someone in English that's Japanese and can comprehend even just the little slang-like ways we speak. Like, until I literally started paying attention to her words I noticed that just like all Americans, she used the word "like" a lot in her sentences. But even when I speak English to Kanako (she's the best in the class) when I use words that seem so easy but it's an American thing, she doesn't understand it then I have to say it a diferent way. She was translating some of the things to her mom that we spoke about. We didn't have much time to spend together though. I had to be home for 6 which is awefully early here. I guess my parents were just worried since I was going to be so far away? I don't know but that sucked. I actually got home at 5 too.
So, we talked a lot in the car, then we went to Narita to get some lunch. We went to an Italian resturant. Then we went to the mall for a bit, not long at all. I got a purse ^_^ It's actually very colorful and fuzzy, I love it. I'll take a picture of it for my next blog just 'cause I love it so much. But then we went to get ice cream. For the first time, I tried soy sause ice cream. It doesn't sound good, right? But it was actually REALLYYY good. It was surprisingly sweet. Then I went to her house. We weren't there long at all, like 30 minutes at the most before we left and her mom drove me back to Hitachi, to my house. I was supposed to take the train at Mito back home, so I was a little surprised. But it was fun. A bit ackward at times but still fun. I'm glad I got to see her again and hopefully next time I'll be able to sleep over her house. I was asked to actually but Otoo-san wouldn't let me. He said it kinda seriously too like there was no way I could. Okaa-san didn't seem to have a problem with it but I needed HIS permission. How gay. Yuki's dog didn't like me either. He looked like he wanted to rip me to shreds haha.
As for the Hachiko story. I asked Yuki about it and her mom told us the story. Yuki of course had to translate it to English for me. So, I don't know how long ago this was but there was this guy who always got off at the Shibuya station and there was a dog always waiting for him, Hachiko. I don't know what Hachiko did with him, other than follow him around, but then the guy would always get back on the train at the end of the day and return the next day. Hachiko always came to the station to wait for the man come off the train. It was the same rutine. The man though was very sick with some disease (maybe cancer?). One day he died and of course Hachiko never knew that. But everyday Hachiko would come to the station and wait for him, and everyday the man wouldn't show. But Hachiko waited everyday for him. (geeze, I'm starting to cry even while typing this) And so a statue was made for Hachiko's loyality even after it was clear the man would never come back. It's such a sad story!!!! I feel almost guilty for just standing there next to it with thoughts of taking a picture of a dog statue I found out about from a video game. I'm an idiot.
I went to Itako Monday and that day was actually the first day I took the train myself.
That. Was. Scary.
Not that the train was scary or anything, I love the train, it was just I was first scared that I got the wrong ticket (Okaa-san just dropped me off at the station) and then I was a little worried about which train to take. So, I was pretty confident of myself to be able to get my ticket to Mito. I knew pretty much how to do it and I knew the kanji for Mito (if I didn't know that I'd be screwed completely) so I was sure I could do it. To get your ticket though, on the touch screen you have to touch a price number. Your destination isn't on it. Above the machine is a huge train map and that's where you look for your destination and then you just touch whatever number it says next to it. I could handle that. But I couldn't find Mito on the map and I'm 100% sure of it's kanji (I could write it even, it's sooo easy) so it's not like I maybe was mistaken or something. Then I did find Mito but then it said like 1,000 something yen. Huh?? That's wayyy too expensive and the other times I went to Mito it was only like 500 yen. So, I asked this guy behind me. He looked like he didn't even want to get involved with speaking with a foreigner, like he looked scared. But I asked him (my first time asking a stranger for help, yay!) and he pointed on the map where Mito was and told me the price. NOW I saw Mito and it was only 480 yen. I was in thought after that though and I guess it seemed to him like I didn't understand what the hell he said, but I did. So then he just touched the screen's price for me but that was by accident.
I then just put my money in and got my ticket. What I was then worried about was what if, since he touched the screen by accident, that was actually the wrong button he pressed? So that got me worried. I was pretty sure I was on the right track side for the right train. Once I got on the train though I was worried. Every other time I went to Mito, right above the doors of the train's inside was a screen and it would say the next stop on it. In Japanese AND English, and an announcement was even made in English. But not on this train. There was no screen on the train and the conductor made the announcements which was bad 'cause he sounded super stuffy in the speakers, hard to understand. I was really testing my Japanese listening skills just with that. Even when he said Mito it sounded like he added something to it, making me unsure if there were 2 different Mito stops. Luckly I was alright. My ticket was fine and my stop was right.
Yuki met me at the train entrance. Yuki is the girl who went to America as an exchange student last year. I have pictures of her in my Rotary album. But she looked so different yesterday! Her hair was shorter now but still, I seriously didn't reconize her. Her mom was there too. Geeze, that entire day I felt so bad for her mom. She was hardly in the conversations (actually none at all really) because it was all English. Yuki's English was pretty much amazing, I'm surprised it's still glued to her so well. It was nice to talk to someone in English that's Japanese and can comprehend even just the little slang-like ways we speak. Like, until I literally started paying attention to her words I noticed that just like all Americans, she used the word "like" a lot in her sentences. But even when I speak English to Kanako (she's the best in the class) when I use words that seem so easy but it's an American thing, she doesn't understand it then I have to say it a diferent way. She was translating some of the things to her mom that we spoke about. We didn't have much time to spend together though. I had to be home for 6 which is awefully early here. I guess my parents were just worried since I was going to be so far away? I don't know but that sucked. I actually got home at 5 too.
So, we talked a lot in the car, then we went to Narita to get some lunch. We went to an Italian resturant. Then we went to the mall for a bit, not long at all. I got a purse ^_^ It's actually very colorful and fuzzy, I love it. I'll take a picture of it for my next blog just 'cause I love it so much. But then we went to get ice cream. For the first time, I tried soy sause ice cream. It doesn't sound good, right? But it was actually REALLYYY good. It was surprisingly sweet. Then I went to her house. We weren't there long at all, like 30 minutes at the most before we left and her mom drove me back to Hitachi, to my house. I was supposed to take the train at Mito back home, so I was a little surprised. But it was fun. A bit ackward at times but still fun. I'm glad I got to see her again and hopefully next time I'll be able to sleep over her house. I was asked to actually but Otoo-san wouldn't let me. He said it kinda seriously too like there was no way I could. Okaa-san didn't seem to have a problem with it but I needed HIS permission. How gay. Yuki's dog didn't like me either. He looked like he wanted to rip me to shreds haha.
As for the Hachiko story. I asked Yuki about it and her mom told us the story. Yuki of course had to translate it to English for me. So, I don't know how long ago this was but there was this guy who always got off at the Shibuya station and there was a dog always waiting for him, Hachiko. I don't know what Hachiko did with him, other than follow him around, but then the guy would always get back on the train at the end of the day and return the next day. Hachiko always came to the station to wait for the man come off the train. It was the same rutine. The man though was very sick with some disease (maybe cancer?). One day he died and of course Hachiko never knew that. But everyday Hachiko would come to the station and wait for him, and everyday the man wouldn't show. But Hachiko waited everyday for him. (geeze, I'm starting to cry even while typing this) And so a statue was made for Hachiko's loyality even after it was clear the man would never come back. It's such a sad story!!!! I feel almost guilty for just standing there next to it with thoughts of taking a picture of a dog statue I found out about from a video game. I'm an idiot.
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