Hello!

Today I spent 3 long, arduous hours looking for a phone that did not have a 2 year plan. Long story short I finally got one, it is really intricate. You can text, or what they call e-mail, in hiragana, katakana, kanji, and english. It is difficult to navigate but features cute pictures and stamps for your e-mails and text messages! It is totally worth it haha.

I have a few pictures from Tokyo but not many since I forgot my camera usb cord.

the next is my favorite because it says we are tired and everyone appears tired but me, when in fact I was ready to pass out by this point!!!!



These pictures are called Purikura. You take the pictures with a basic back ground in a booth and then move to another booth to decorate them. It is really fun and the camera makes you look flawless. This is a big part of the teen culture as it is a way to bond with your friends. Sometimes parents agree to be in the pictures too. The pictures are printed out on sticky paper and sent to your phone's e-mail address(Yes your phone has it's own e-mail address.) You can choose which size you want the pictures to be printed but obviously the more you want the smaller they get. These pictures we printed out are about 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch. Many teens stick the pictures on their phones but eventually they collect so many they store them in cases or put them in sticker books.

So today is March 14th! It is a very exciting day for girlfriends! In Japan, Valentine's Day is the time for girls to give their boyfriends or the boys they have crushes on gifts. The girls get NOTHING! As you should know this is very different and sounds terrible right?! Don't worry girls, we get our own special day a month later! March 14th is White Day where the boys get something for the girls who gave them a present on Valentine's Day. Traditionally the boy would get the girl something white but now it is not necessary. However, if a girl gives a boy she likes a present and he rejects it she receive anything except a broken heart. Aww...

Today I spent the day with Mio's mom again because Mio went to visit her boyfriend for White Day. When I am with Mio it is easy to speak English with her instead of Japanese so I like to spend time with her mom so I can practice my Japanese. Mio's mom, Izumi, is very very sweet. Today I skyped with my parents to show them her house and she hurriedly ran around trying to pick up an almost spotless house. She was so embarrassed she turned red, it was the cutest thing! This is yet another example of how particular the Japanese are with how they are perceived by others. It is really admirable to me since, according to my parents, I live in a pig sty at home.

March 14th is also the day daylight savings starts so Japan is now only 13 hours ahead of the US instead of 14. With such a large time change Japan can be starting a new day while the US is just finishing the one before. For example, earlier today I was thinking about when the new Family Guy episode would be online when I realized that it was Sunday in Japan but still Saturday in the US so I had a long time to wait.

In the US I have a Netflix account and frequently watch TV shows and movies online through Netflix and Hulu. Since I am in Japan I am technically not allowed to watch certain shows online! There is a licensing issue between the US and Japan. It is kind of depressing because when I feel lonely or sad I like to watch funny TV shows to lift my spirits. I believe I will become very homesick at some point so I won't know what to do! Also, Japanese DVD's cannot be played in American DVD players and vice versa. Japanese DVD players have a different region code. These codes are placed on movies, much like the licensing on TV shows in the US, to let the motion picture studios to have control over content, release dates, and prices.

It's 10:34 right now and its time to take a shower. I will describe the at home bath scene next time. Get excited!

-Jiru

ps. I apologize for any typos or grammar mistakes. It is difficult to speak and write proper English after struggling all day to squeak out a few sentences in Japanese ;) Thanks for understanding!