I won another Light Fellowship for the spring semester, and after a lot of soul-searching, I decided to stay. In addition to the malaise I was feeling, detailed in my previous post, what kept me reluctant to stay was the fact that I wouldn't be able to graduate with the class of 2013. It's sad thinking I won't be able to graduate with my closest friends, but I know years from now that won't really matter--I'll always be a Yalie. Plus, being able to say that you've spent a year in Japan packs more punch than just 6 months, don't ya think?
And now, a look back at the past couple months through pictures.
I traveled to Tokyo over the November break where I reunited with some of the Sun Academy buddies!
Aaaaand my always lovely host family! I invited Genevieve along, my friend from Nanzan, to experience their adorable wackiness.
It was bittersweet being back in Tokyo. Sweet because Tokyo is Tokyo ('nuff said), and it was a welcome break from Nagoya, but bitter because I'll always associate it with my Sun Academy friends. I'll probably never be able to experience Tokyo with such a cool group of people again, but such is life. What's done is done. One can't dwell on the past.
Oh, funny story. I was sitting at Hachiko in Shibuya one night, with Genevieve and my other friend Jo, just people-watching, when we were approached by a man who asked us in English if we liked to eat and drink. Ummmm...haha. He had to feed us a better line if he wanted us to come to his restaurant. We politely declined his offer. A while later, overcome by boredom, I called him over and asked if he had some part-time openings (don't ask me why). And so we all got to talking. The man, Lee-san, was a Chinese immigrant who owns a couple of restaurants in Tokyo. Pretty soon, we found ourselves warily following him through the busy streets of Shibuya to his restaurant. How did we know he wasn't going to lead us to an alley, kill us, chop us up to pieces, and put us on his restaurant menu? We were in for surprise (and not the kind that involves murder). We descended a flight of stairs that led us to one of the nicest restaurants I've gone to since I've been in Japan. He treated us to not only a 2-hour nomihodai (you should know this word by now...hint: all-you-can-drink), but also yakiniku (grilled meat)--FREE OF CHARGE. We were blown away by his kindness and still wonder how we got so lucky. It must be our gaijin power. It always is. If this story isn't funny enough, I ran into him the very next day at Ikebukuro Station. They say Tokyo is the biggest city in the world--LIES!
Just another night at Torinosuke, the closest izakaya to my dorm. My friends and I always say we're sick of the place because we go there so much, but we all know that we secretly love it.
During my dorm's stay at a ryokan!
The pitiful, overpriced Thanksgiving meal I had at an American-style sports bar and grill. At least it looks like the real thing...
I traveled to Osaka for a night to see one of my favorite bands, Friendly Fires, live. I had 2 presentations the next day, but it was sosososo worth it!
Subway trains are the best places for impromptu photoshoots.
That is not my hand. But why is it so close to my camera?!?! Last train madness, one of the reasons why I prefer to STAY OUT ALL NIGHT WOOOOOOO
At a nomikai (drinking party) with my IJ600 classmates!
Just 'cause.
Until next year, Japan!
