Highlights

Here are some of the highlight stories:

Sunday 13 - I told you all how I caused us to miss our first Shinkasen by a whole two minutes, well I was NOT going to miss a second one. JT and I went to the platform and waited in line to board. That is, we lined up to enter the car in which our seats were found. We were first in line. We chatted and were chilling and next thing I know I realize that the Shinkasen that had pulled in previously was our ride! By this time there were Japanese people lined up behind us. I asked the guy behind us in Japanese if it was the right one and he nodded. Well the doors are all closed.... I start to panic. We're going to miss another train when we're standing outside the door! I take off to check the other end of the car. I walk up to the door and am looking to see if there's a button I can press to enter the door. Then a lady comes up to me and says, "Excuse me. Line." Then she points to all the waiting people who are irked at the fact that I tried to cut in line. So we walk back to where we were waiting and the nice man who helped us before leans over and says "クリにング" - cleaning. DAH!!! I lived here... In my defense I didn't travel by Shinkansen - too expensive for me.

Monday 14 - At the end of the day JT and I had our shopping finds with us. When we weren't able to find my friend, I took us three blocks over to catch the でんでん虫 bus (snail). It's a bus that runs a clockwise and counterclockwise circuit around Morioka (盛岡市). All rides are ¥100 (essentially $1). This is a nice and cheap ride and we wanted to go to the station so off we went to the stop. As we were waiting, I took my goods and set them on the bus stop marker base (stone). We chatted and shivered and I talked to JT about Morioka Koen (park) which was right behind us. By the time the bus came, we were ready to jump on. Which we did. I turned to look at JT and saw him holding his things (at this point he was carrying my bag - he is a very sweet boy and has periodically done that for me - he'll notice I'm in pain and help me in that way). I realize then ... I don't have my things. I panic and ask JT "Did you grab my bags?" "No." I jump up and start running back and forth on the bus, lol. Well I ran to the side door (where we entered) saying, 「ちょっと待って、ごめん！ごめん！忘れ物！」(Sorry! Sorry! Forgotten things!) The bus driver says something and I run to the front of the bus since the bus driver has opened the door (the official exit). However since I had first gone to the side door, he has already started closing the front door and is opening the side. So I ran back to the side, which is open. And jump down and grab my things. I get back on the bus to bow and apologize to everyone who had to wait for me. JT apologized and said "I didn't know I was supposed to grab your things." I set him straight and told him I'm in charge of my own things and that it was my own fault I'd forgotten. I was just hoping he'd been more aware than me. LOL I apologized one more time when I got off the bus and thanked the driver. Good to be back!

Tuesday 15 - So when we checked into our hotel, they gave us the thing with the room keys in it. She explained our room was on the 5th floor. And off we go. Well on the paper it looks like (legit) 5.7. On the way up the elevator I remark to JT that I've never seen hotel rooms written that way. I've seen 507 but never 5.7. As you may have already foreseen... Our keys did NOT open room 507. We stood there a good 3-4 minutes trying our keys and jiggling the handle. Then JT tilts his head, "Maybe that's a 1?" Yeah.... Our key opened room 517. There may or may not have been a poor panicked person in room 507. "Foreigners are trying to invade!! At least they're not breaking the door down...." HAHAHAHA It's like I forgot how to function as an adult on this trip... Lol. Poor JT. But hey - at least I've been providing him with a valuable "don't" list as well as recovery from those don'ts if you commit them.

Wednesday 16 - A story of how I messed with other foreigners: as JT and I were leaving 清水寺 (Kiyomizudera) to catch a bus to Ginkakuji, we passed some other Caucasians who loudly said, "Hello!" I answered "Bonjour." Then the guy repeated back "Bongiorno!" I laughed and turned, "J'ai dit bonjour" "Bonjour!" "Ah! Parlez-vous français?" "Uhhh un peu." Other guy: "Hablo español!" "Oh si? Yo también de haber vivido en Argentina!" "I uh... Estoy necido (sic) en México!" "I speak English too!" *collective sigh from the two guys and girl* I'm a mean guy - what can I say? In our five minute conversation some Japanese slipped in and they were shocked. They told me I'm the ideal traveling companion. Then they introduced a friend who walked up that they called "Our Russian." Vlad was born there and speaks the language but grew up in the US. In any case it was a pleasant conversation and Anson (the guy who first greeted me) wished us well saying, "Do weird things!" I thought that was a fabulous send-off!! The girl's name was Sarah and they all were drinking fairly heavily but my favorite part of that conversation was the guy who told me he spoke Spanish. When I started speaking Spanish to him he got that "Oh crap what have I done!?" Face. Hahahah - I think I just made him super nervous. (He did make a mistake with the past participle but hey I understood him!) Great times on a hill in Japan!!!

Wednesday 16 - A story through me from JT. I didn't realize this until he told me last night but when we got into the station, we showed our Rail Passes and Shinkansen tickets to the gate guy. I have been entering first (so JT can follow me and we don't hold anyone up) and each time I've been told 「はい！どぞう！」(Yes/good/ok go ahead). Apparently they've been saying "Yes! Continue!" to JT. I didn't know until last night he said to me, "Apparently you look more Japanese than me." Me: !? He explained and I theorized that I probably just walk more confidently than he does. I'm not afraid of anything they may say or do. JT's been paranoid about speaking Japanese and people speaking to him this whole trip. Part of it, I'm sure, is handing things the Japanese way, bowing at the correct time and to the correct level, etc. Just something you learn living here. Made me really happy to hear that! After all, こころの中に日本人です！ - In my heart I'm Japanese! - One member from the church told me that. It was very kind of them to say and made me feel great that they have really loved and accepted me to that degree - even with all my Shinkansen missing, line cutting, wasuremono (forgotten things), bus ladders (which I hated in gym but hey things are always better when you're not being graded on them, eh?), and being mean to other foreigners! Hahaha What a fabulous country! Luckily they are very forgiving, lol.