Update November- February

So 2014 is here and soon (4th March) I will have been in Japan for a whole year!

Over the last few months I have done a lot of exciting things:

• I went to a T.O.P from BIGBANG fanmeeting in Yokohama at the end of November and got a seat only 24 rows from the front. 
• Went to 'Namjatown' and ate the weirdest ice cream flavours ever (for example: eel, garlic and beef tongue' lol)
• In December I went to the BIGBANG concert at Tokyo Dome in December which was AMAZING.
• We went to a BIGBANG club night run by the B.B cafe and drank and danced way too much. haha
• My family came to visit for Christmas and New Year and it was wonderful to see them and show them Tokyo! We saw a alot of tourist sites and traditional Japanese shrines and temples I hadn't had the chance to visit yet.
• Going to BIGBANG karaoke rooms to sing and molest the walls
• Hunting down Sailor Moon merchandise (some of which is still hard to get hold of even in Japan!)
• Tokyo Disney Sea in February and eating more popcorn (in an array of strange flavours) than should be humanly possible
• I started taking Japanese lessons again and I hope I can improve my skills so I can get more stuff done myself! (A friend also started teaching me a bit of Korean!)
• I also received a certificate from my company as a 'Teacher of distinction' My manager and staff nominated me. I was very thankful.

And of course I've been generally hanging out with awesome people and talking, eating, drinking and shopping in the city that really has started to feel more like a home. Sadly a few of my friends here had to leave or will be leaving in a matter of weeks. I am emotional about that... :( 

Already planned for the next few months, I want to visit the YGFamily Exhibition in Japan next month. In May I will go to the YGFamily concert and see BIGBANG, 2NE1, Psy, Winner etc etc. I am so excited! I saw a poster for the concert 2 weeks ago in Shibuya.

In the name of the moon, I will punish you!

'Sailor Moon' was, and still is, one of my best loved manga and anime. A few weeks ago I visited 'Azubajuban' which is the area of Tokyo where the Sailor Moon series is based. I visited the park where various Sailor Moon scenes take place and one of the local shrines that inspired Sailor Mars's shrine. The area was also in walking distance of the iconic 'Tokyo Tower' which features in so many anime and manga series. Sadly, due to it being a national holiday, it was too busy for me to go up it that day. However, I can go back another time to visit the observation deck.

Akihabara is a great place in Tokyo to 'geek out'. There are many anime, manga and idol shops and cafes. At the moment there are promotions for the new Sailor Moon figure which I managed to pre-order! We also ate some delicious ramen for lunch and hunted around the anime shops. So excited about the new Sailor Moon anime that is currently in production!
There was also a shop with loads of Studio Ghibli merchandise. I had to resist buying all the 'Kiki's delivery service' goods! 

Other various adventures in Tokyo recently include; hanging out with friends eating and drinking in Korea town, going to a 'fruit pallor' in Ikebukuro to catch-up with an old friend, finding the 'Ben and Jerry's' ice cream store in Harajuku and getting my hands on Kyary Pamyu Pamyu designed adidas trainers! 

xXx

Arriving in Japan!

I have arrived in Japan! On Tuesday I flew from London to Tokyo and the flight was surprisingly good with the best plane food I have ever eaten! The carrot was cut into a flower shape. They were even playing the Korean film 'Masquerade' on the plane with one of my favourite actors Lee Byung Hun in it. When I arrived in Tokyo it was breakfast time. I got an ice cream and iced coffee. It was a pretty amazing way to start my first morning in Japan! 

Currently I am in Omiya and have begun the training for my new job. It's hard work but also really good fun!

Me and the other trainees haven't had much free time yet, but we have made it to the local supermarket which is full of loads of new and interesting things. (Including some kind of sweet Pokemon bread which has so far been my breakfast on training days!) 

We also went for a walk to the local shrine. It was so beautiful and peaceful. We ate out in a restaurant we found around the corner. We had to order from a machine and none of us knew exactly what we were ordering, so we all took a random guess and luckily all ended up 
with delicious meals!

I got my new apartment information yesterday for when I move into Tokyo for the remainder of my stay here. I am SO excited to think of all the adventures I'm going to have! Already I am amazed by the tiny parts of Japan I have seen and I just know this is going to be the most amazing year.

In the next week or so in the time I am not training, I hope to hunt down the local cat cafe and shopping center and even brave taking the metro to Harajuku.