Ueno, not Ghibli – Sept 22nd

Well, I’m not hungover today but I certainly took my time in getting up. I arose around 9:30, a full two hours later than normal. Today a large group of the CSU students would be going to the Ghibli museum to pay homage to Hayao Miyazaki, something like the Walt Disney of Japan. Miyazaki’s works have been very popular for decades now, and have started to slowly leak into the American market. As much as I’ve enjoyed the few Miyazaki films that I’ve watched, I’m not so eager to spend 1,000 yen for an hour’s worth of walking around in a cramped space; the Tokyo Tower got that out of my system already. Nevertheless, I figured I would go and just hang out with whoever else wasn’t going to the museum.

We gathered at the rotary around 12:30 and opted to go for lunch. People were headed for BLDY, the lackluster family restaurant I’d already been to. I expressed my disdain at such a grim prospect for lunch, and instead opted to go to the Mister Donuts down the street. Hans and John decided to join me. I got a couple donuts and a cup of “American coffee,” which, despite its mediocrity, I enjoyed immensely.

Afterwards we had some time left before our 2:30 meeting time, so we ran to the arcade (geisen) on the 6^th floor of the Big Box building right in front of the rotary. I played a few shooting games with John, who was predictably better than me. We made our way down to the waiting crowd, which seemed to have swollen in numbers since lunch. After inquiring around, I found that only Hans, Hilary and myself opted not to go to Ghibli. I figured that anyone else who had decided not to go probably didn’t bother coming to the rotary today, so I wasn’t terribly surprised that there were only three of us.

Hilary hadn’t been feeling too well, and decided she’d go back to her apartment to rest. Hans and I, being the gentlemen we are, walked her to her doorstep, before turning back towards the school to pay a visit to Kazaoka-sensei. I got a refund for my teiki (train pass) and asked a few questions about the upcoming semester. Hans inquired about the possibility of doing a Mt. Fuji hike, and we learned that the mountain is closed between October and July, so we’d need to go soon if at all this year. We later learned that anyone who climbs the mountain after August is either a pro or a fool, so we figured it’d be better to just wait until July.

After a pleasant visit with Kazaoka-sensei, we made our way to the station to take the Yamanote line to Ueno. I’d forgotten just how far it was; practically 11 stops away from ‘baba. As we stepped out of the station, a flood of memories came bubbling up from my subconscious. The last time I was here, it was with Sachiko, marveling at the fish mongers and “cheap” prices. This time I knew the landscape a little better, and knew how to scrutinize the merchandise. I was determined to get a suitable wallet and schoolbag, and the fates did not deny me my prize. For about 5,000 yen I got a nice canvas bag with adjustable straps and a side pocket just perfect for the wallet I picked up. I found a Stefano Valentino (or very nice knock-off) for 2,500 yen in one of the small shops buried deep under the train tracks. The place where I got my bag had a nice selection of fine-grain wallets, including the same brand (and style) for almost twice as much as what I paid, so I know I found a decent deal. There was a really cheap Chinese knock-off for only 1,000 yen, but I knew I would probably regret that purchase further down the road.

Satisfied with my new stuff, we stopped by Freshness burger before parting ways. I have to say that although it’s a bit pricey, Freshness burger tops even Mos Burger in terms of taste and quality. It’s no In-n-Out, but it’s the closest thing I’ve found in Japan so far.

PS: Thanks to everyone who left comments for me in my last entry; it’s nice to know that people are actually reading this thing.