Recently

I recently discovered a nice little cafe on the river called Canal Cafe and here are some pictures:

                                      

You can pay around $6 and take a boat out on the river.  The weather was nice but a little hot and I didn't want to get sun burned, so I didn't do it.  Maybe next time.

This is the newest addition to my living room!  It's a tiny little bonsai tree.  It is really small and has tiny white flowers blooming on it.  It will live for a long time, probably longer than me!  But they can be very temperamental, so I have to take care of it and water it often, as well as let it outside for fresh air and morning sunlight.  I have had good luck with the other plants so I thought it would be okay.  The lady I bought it from said it could get bigger and I might have to buy a new pot!

Went for a stroll in Ginza recently to go to the Apple store and get a new iPhone since mine had some weird blue line pop up on it.  This is the fanciest and most expensive part of Tokyo and they close the streets for pedestrians during weekends so they can shop at the ridiculously expensive stores!  I went to the 13 story Abercrombie and Fitch flagship store!  That was a headache.

                                          This is one of my students this year.  He is so silly!

Delicious mango dessert in Sunshine City!

New Stuff

I recently got some new things for my apartment.  I got a new sofa, a new rug, a new clock, a new bookshelf, a new table, and a little black bear from my Mom (thank you!).  

My apartment is barely recognizable from when I first moved in.  I threw away a large white sofa that looked like it had been fished out of the trash and a TV that didn't work along with a TV stand and a vacuum cleaner that didn't work.  I also organized the books that were just laying everywhere and in no particular order, wiping the ridiculous layer of dust off of each one and throwing the useless Tom Clancy's and Dean Koontz novels away in the process (actually, I didn't throw them away, they are on my balcony in a box, waiting to be taken to the used book shop).  

Just yesterday, my new sofa bed was delivered and it is a nice addition to the living room I think.  It is kind of small, but the arms and back fold down to make a bed for any visitors!

And my little black bear from my mom is relaxing on the bookshelf beside the bonsai book.  He smells like home!  Speaking of home, I finally have my tickets home in August and I can't wait to see everyone!  

Me at my Friday school in the English room during my two hour break between classes, playing with my iPhone!

Yokohama, Chinatown, and Sumo!

I went to Yokohama to shop at the Landmark tower and saw a performance of some guy climbing a ladder and juggling things dangerously.  Then it started raining and I had to run back across the street and head towards Chinatown.

Chinatown was fun because there were a lot of shops and things to look at, but it was so crowded because it was Golden Week.  But we had nice Chinese food and got to see some cool shrines.

This is 8 bit cafe, a little cafe that is video game themed.  You can play video games here, too.  They have drinks called Metroid, Donkey Kong, Princess Peach, etc.  A really neat place.

Transferring at Ochanomizu (tea water).  The water is really green like green tea, though, so I guess it's named appropriately.

Went to Ryogoku to meet a Japanese friend and eat sumo food but he didn't show up so I just saw some sumo things while I was there with my other friend.  Now I want to see a sumo match!!

Cherry Blossoms, New Carpet, and King Kong Ramen

Last weekend was the peak for the cherry blossoms and it is tradition to go to Yoyogi Park and see the trees. It was so crowded! But the trees were really beautiful.

Finally got my curtains and new carpet in the living room.

The old carpet is the green color that you can see in the hall. I had the hall carpet replaced later, so it is all brown now. I have to throw the big sofa away because it is so old and torn up. This apartment has been quite the fixer upper. I am nowhere near finished. I am planning on going to IKEA this weekend to get a new sofa and some other things.

Since I moved to Ikebukuro, I have really started trying a lot of new restaurants, especially ramen shops. This is my favorite one so far, King Kong ramen.

So delicious!!!

New Place--Ikebukuro!

I finally moved into the city. I have been here for a while. The new place is still a bit of a work in progress, so I have been slow to put up pictures until it is actually finished. But anyway, here are some things:

This is the west exit of Ikebukuro station, where I moved.

This is the view from the elevator in my new gym! It is on the 10th floor and the walls are all windows so you can see the entire city while you are working out. It is my favorite thing about moving to the city so far! And so much cheaper than my other gym. Only 5 minute walk from my apartment.

This is my bed. I don't have curtains yet, so I will take more pictures later. Also, the living room carpet has to be replaced, so I will take pictures of the living room later.

This is the view from my balcony. Will be nice in the summer.

I am so excited to be here finally. Everything is so convenient and I love it much more than any of the other places I have lived in Japan so far. More to come later!!

Valentine's Day, The Outback, and moving to Ikebukuro!!

It is still bitterly cold here, but things have brightened up because I am moving next month! I am really tired of living out in the suburbs and having to ride the train in 20 minutes every time I want to go to the city, so I am moving into the city...finally!

Luckily, I found a place that is a lot cheaper than my apartment now, and it is close to everything. I will be moving in on March 10th.

As you can tell, I recently went to the Outback Steakhouse, a place that I have not been in a long time. It was so much food that I thought I was gonna die trying to finish it. Not nearly as good as in America, except for the blooming onion, but it's just as expensive!