Comiket Guess who went to Comiket on her day off yesterday? Comic Market (Comiket, for short; Japanese love shortening words) is a huuuge manga convention, where some super chill, independant artists try to sell their fan-made, fan-published comics and goods. And since Danielle is a sucker for handing artists money, she considered it a very good, very profitable day. The Tokyo Big Sight was a beautiful location to have a convention. The rooms were very spacious, and at first, I was worried about wearing my big winter jacket to an indoor convention (in Tokyo nonetheless!), but I'm actually glad I brought it, because the rooms had big, open doors to the outside (wasn't actually indoors only), and it was actually kind of chilly. Which I thought was great compared to the hot, packed rooms I'm used to in Chicago conventions. Awesome thing about Comiket, too, was no entrance fee. So I could just waltz right in and start handing money to artists right away. I...

Christmas Merry Christmas, everyone!! It's been kinda hard to get the whole "Christmas spirit" feel this year, just because not many people seem to celebrate it like they do in the States. Because Christmas in America (let alone, in my household of eight) and Christmas in Japan are really quite different. Here are a couple quick things I noticed: 1. People still work/go to school on 12/25. :o 2. It's mostly a time for young kids and is less celebrated when you get older. 3. 12/24 may be bigger than 12/25, and that's when my host family did their gift exchange (and I got my pajamas that I never want to change out of, because they are soooo comfy, thank you host mama!!) 4. It's not as family-oriented as their New Years celebration is. Christmas Day is more a time for friends to get together and chill. Whereas, New Years is when people travel to get together with their families and chill. Lots of chillin' going on in the winter time. 5. Th...

Gasshuku Camp Every day is something new, but this weekend had a bunch of “firsts” for me. This weekend, starting Saturday night, I went to my first-ever gasshuku (boarding house/lodge AKA camping indoors) in Chiba, Japan. I actually expected to crash early on in the night, but I ended up staying up until 1AM with my group of crazies! I had so much fun introducing myself to my new friends, having dinner/breakfast with my favorite bunch, doing agility courses outdoors with the kids, taking pictures of the pretty outdoor gardens, and playing cards late into the night like a crazy person. My friends have discovered I have no poker face, often showing them my hand to ensure their trust that I don’t have the babanuki (old maid), and when I do have it, I be sure to let them know. :) Hmm, firsts... let’s see... Setting up and putting away my own futon. First, futon, then sheets, then two comforters, then blanket on top. Oh, and the pillow case needs a cover. I love f...