TOKYO FRIDAY

So I completely forgot to mention that yesterday we also went to the Tokyo National Museum which was really interesting. We did so much that I am seriously having a hard time remembering it all. They had exhibits of ancient scrolls, samurai, swords, royal processions, ceramics, ancient tools and much more. It is so amazing to think of all the rich history they have built up over the years and how childlike America is in comparison. Everything in the museum dated back to before America was even discovered by Columbus. They even had a huge garden with women walking around in kimonos. We think they were holding a ceremony of some sort but surprise! Surprise!, we weren’t allowed within 100 meters of them, so we just sat on a bench and stared at them for ½ hour like creepy foreigners that we are. So now that I mentioned that, lets get back to Friday.

We wanted to venture out away from Tokyo a little and decided to visit Kamakura and Yokohama which are about an hour away. The Tokyo train station is so busy that sometime is the next few years they are using people’s feet step treading through the station in order to power a generator to provide electricity for the whole station. Su’Ge! Luckily Ray’s girlfriend agreed to drive us and hang out for the day.

KAMAKURA

Buddha's sandals
If you put money in there and make a wish, its supposed to come true

At Kamakura (which means “snow house” in English) we saw a huge daibatsu (statue of Buddha) that we could walk inside and all around the grounds. There were also many shrines and temples to explore. At one of them we decided to get our fortunes. I was so skeptical but everyone’s was sooo promising that I decided that I could use a little good fortune thrown my way, so I got one too. I about cried when I read mine:

Illness: You will get better in the long run. Take care of yourself.

Pleasure: Nothing.

The Person you await: he will not come

Law suits: nearly impossible for you to win, If you will win, you will regret it.

Quarrel: You will lose

Lost Item: Will not be found

Buying/selling: unfavorable

Building/moving: reasonable

Travel: unfavorable

Love: will not go well

Life and death: you will be alive

You are supposed to tie your fortunes on these posts, but I kept mine just to laugh at...i figure it cant get much worse!

So I don’t know how seriously I take fortunes but my future self isn’t looking so hot. WHO GETS FORTUNES LIKE THAT?! I didn’t even think that these existed. I decided it was time to go up my odds of turning my fortune around, so we went to another temple where you can erase your sins. If you push this huge wheel around the building one time completely, no more or less, then your sins will be erased! Hopefully I added a few brownie points to my karma-meter because love, career, travel, and pretty much my life in general are not looking promising at all!

More Shrines

If you put the smoke from this vase over your head, it supposed to make you more intelligent... we can only hope!

The lumpiest tree that I ever did see...

We went to a cave which was also a temple with stone statues of various gods that you could light candles and pray too. The only problem was that the ceiling was 4ft. tall and being the claustrophobic pansy that I am, practically ran through the temple until I found daylight and fresh air.

Yokohama/ Queens Square

Time to be kids again and go on a ROLLERCOASTER

Queen's Square...appropriately named! ;)

Swarvsky (no clue how to spell that) Crystal 3 story tree...Ima lookin and Ima likin

singing x-mas tree and changing lights

I saw this and had to take a pic for ma daddy

China Town

A few minute drive away was China Town. Let me start off by saying that this is the cleanest and nicest China Town I have EVER been in. We decided on a famous Chinese Restaurant and sat down for my BDAY dinner! Terren speaks fluent Chinese so I was trying to talk her into speaking Chinese to the waitresses all night, but she is a big loser and chickened out! But she did have the nerve to go up to the piano player and request happy birthday for me! Awe…she is so embarrassing but deep down I felt so happy that she made my birthday away from California so special.

Cant touch this...

Club “A List” for my birthday celebration:

Only in Tokyo can you leave your hotel @ 1:30 am to go out and be early...

In some clubs they have private hairdressers in the middle of the lobby to redo your hair or change it if you want a new look. I think it was free, but it was soo weird! These girls just got ready to go out and are willing to sit in a chair in the middle of the club, where everyone can see them, for another hour or so. Craziness! If you think that Americans are obsessed with their appearances, you’ve never seen a Japanese girl! I haven’t met a girl yet here that doesn’t own at least 2 -- Loius Vuiton/Coach/Gucci/Dior/anything else that costs an arm-and-leg -- purses.

Free tequila all night= a memorable time to say the least! My 22^nd birthday went out just like it should have in Tokyo and in the morning me and T paid for it, but it was allllll worth it.

see Jeffrey, Ive been working out...
no more fat girl comments sucka!

5.am. --enough said

...and the sun goes down on another day