Let's all go to the Tobu, one last time.

Friday night we graduated from sensei training and I don't mean to put anyone down but it was more exciting than my college graduation. I think it's because everything--the work, sweat, tears, and laughs--were all so fresh in my mind. Anyway, this isn't meant to be sentimental so here's a picture of our SENSEI-tional trainee graduates. 

Me and Totoro

That night was Nick Knack's birthday so we all went out for dinner at this 280 place where everything costs 280 yen so that was awesome. Pristopher and I split this raw fish and it was absolutely amah-zing.

yeh me and the birthday man. Brent being a fun sponge.

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Then we went to KAREOKE and it was best thing ever. You pay for a room and get free singing and drinks for an hour. It's not like kareoke in the U.S. at all. It's more like road trip jamming in a room so you can dance and you get a microphone haha. Everyone knows I love to belt it out so obviously I had a blast. Some highlight songs were Feelin' This by Blink 182, Let it Go from Frozen, and Call Me Maybe. Good times. 

Emmy and I :)

The next after we headed to Shibuya! Shopping shopping shopping. I went ham in H&M, one hour of power shopping and when I met back up with everyone they were empty handed and I had a huge bag of clothes. Shibuya was toooooo crowded.

Pris took a sick photo of the main square. 

And of course we had to take a picture next to the Hachiko :) It's a really interesting story that I know nothing about so here's the wiki:

Roomie pic one rainy day outside St. Marc's!

 "In 1924, Hidesaburō Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo, took in Hachikō, a golden brown Akita, as a pet. During his owner's life, Hachikō greeted him at the end of each day at the nearby Shibuya Station. The pair continued their daily routine until May 1925, when Professor Ueno did not return. The professor had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died, never returning to the train station where Hachikō was waiting. Each day for the next nine years Hachikō awaited Ueno's return, appearing precisely when the train was due at the station."

BTP and Hachiko (BTP is how we label our food in the fridge to protect it from the fridge vultures)

Today some people went to Harajuku and I really wanted to want to go but I was too tired. For dinner Totoro and I packed a yakisoba-licious picnic and headed to the Omiya park (Hikawa shrine). It was just lovely. The loveliest indeed. We set out a blanket and ate dinner just as the sun was setting. Haha and there were inappropriate animal noises the whole time because the Omiya park has a small zoo. After it got dark we were lucky enough to be within listening distance of this fantastic accordion player. Lady and the tramp status. It was starting to feel like Paris until I looked down and remember that I was eating yakisoba with chopsticks in the wilderness. A truly magical way to end my time in Omiya.

BUT FIRST, LET ME GO TO THE TOBU. This is my home away from home. The Tobu is as peaceful and relaxing as the coolest of breezes on the hottest of summer days; it's like a butterfly kisses on your favorite blanket; it's as crisp as the first bite of the cucumber in Totoro; it's like soaring through the heavens on the wings of a Skyhawk and looking down at the earth and realizing that anything is possible. One love.