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| I've been back from Japan for over a week now but my mind is still in Japan. I guess it would take quite sometime to become used to the old habits. Every time I do something here, I always think how I would have done back in Japan. For instance, when I drive down the road, I would start thinking that I would have to ride my pink bicycle to train station and then catch the Chuo line in order to go to Shinjuku or somewhere along that route. The more funny thing is that while I was eating Pho at a Vietnamese restaurant with some old friends today, sushi, ramen, yakitori, bento, Ikkyu and Ootoya started to flood through my mind. I miss everything about Japan, everything I'd done there. Riding bicycle, bus, train, the crowds, the food and the politeness. More importantly, I miss those of my friends I used to hang out with. Oh... no more kick-back time on Bakayama... Cute Japanese girls walking beside me... No more Ikkyu... No more partying and drinking untill u crawl... No more meeting and clean-up duty at the dorm... No more Roppongi...
Everything seems like a long dream I woke up from last night, still fresh and regretful that it already became a past.
On the other hand, I'm glad that I'm in San Diego. The weather is so nice, no rains and always sunshine. It's really humid hot and a lot of rains in Tokyo. I'm going to summer class twice a week and trying to find arubaito and something to keep myself busy. Oh, yeah, I got a new ride, a 2006 Accord V6. Haha... gotta take care the insurance and some of the payment. Yep, this is the reality now. No more slacking off. No more Japanese style school kid.
These are the pictures I took with friends during my last week in Tokyo. With them I have the most unforgetable memories and experiences. Thank you everyone for being part of this incredible journey.
Bakayama, Honkan, ICU, Tokyo, Japan
I waited for the occasion. My last dinner in Japan was the Fuku fish (poisonous blow fish).
The last pool game in Japan.
The last ride home on my pink bicycle.
I would never forget all of these.
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|  Bye bye Tokyo! I'm going home tomorrow, June 28th 2006.
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| I'm officially done with my finals today. In a way, it also means that my education at ICU is officially over. Soon I'll be leaving Canada House, ICU, Tokyo and Japan all together. Everything is coming to an end, gone, finished, and the last thing I wanna think of right now is packing my stuff and go home.
Despites of finals and papers I had to write, this weekend was one of my most memorable experiences in Japan.
We had our KICKOUT party on Friday night. Basically, it was a farewell party for us, exchange students, who are leaving Canada House (dorm). So we went to this Yakitori/izakaya in Higashi-Koganei around 9pm. Most of the Canada House's members were there and some the seniors who already graduated in last term also came. Umm... how can I say how it was? Well, it was really fun and everyone was pretty much drunk by the time the party was over. What I found really interesting about drinking with Japanese students, especially in a big group like this, is that once they're drunk, they start doing all these crazy/interesting things, well, like setting up their pubic hair on fire. Absurd but fun, because everyone is pretty much into it.
By 11pm, we were done and had to leave the place. And one other interesting thing I found about most Japanese students is that they usually drink 'till they can barely crawl out of the place. So there were ppl passing out and puking all over.
After the KICKOUT party, I had another plan. Yep, going clubbing, Ageha, the biggest club in Japan. Not with the Canada House students, but with my other friends. I was drunk but I could manage my way thru from the izakaya to the eki. So somehow I rode the train from Higashi-Koganei to Shibuya where my friends were waiting for me. There is an exciting part about riding the train at mid night in Tokyo. Most trains stop running around 12:30 or so. So that exciting part is to catch that last train of the night. If it happens that u miss the last train because u're so drunk to know which station u'r at, chances are, u'll be spending the night sleeping on the floor or a bench at the station, calling a taxi, or finding a nearby hotel. Anyways, u wouldn't wanna take a taxi because it would cost u a fortune. Taxi in Tokyo is like the first class transportation. Fortunately, I've never missed the last train. So there I was sitting on the last train to Shibuya feeling like a drunk salaryman out on Friday night. Goodness, I wasn't wearing a suit.
I met up with friends in Shibuya and then we took the subway to Shinkiba. By the time we got to Agaha, it was around 1am. There's something special about Ageha that night. It was the Bikini Night, girls going there wearing bikini got in for free. And guys pay 4,000 yen ~$40 for entrance fee, not including drinks, which is 700yen a drink. Yah, that place is big, it's like a sport arena and there were many ppl that night. It was the Bikini Night, no wonder the line was so long and there were more guys than girls that night. Never in my clubbing experience that I had to wait in line for 2hours to get inside the club. But at Ageha that night, we did. So we got in around 3am. We knew that it was the Bikini Night, so brought my camera with me hoping to snap some nice shots of the event. But once we got to the security checkpoint, no camera allowed inside,shit... This is when the cameraphone comes to handy.
Ageha is great. I like the place and the music there. It was fun. At 5am, we left the club and took the club's bus to Shibuya. I got back to ICU around 7am and slept 'till 4pm. Then I worked on my papers and studied for my Japanese final.
It was a good weekend. It's something I would remember when I go back to the States next week.
Unlike in the States, in Japan, u go clubbing 'till the sun rises.
One more week, only one more week to go... Ill miss u Tokyo.
 izakaya
 At izakaya
 In front of Ageha
 From cameraphone, Ageha: indoor
 After sun rose, outdoor
 Man... I feel bad for those two big guys.
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| I like to see life as riding roller coasters. There're many ups, downs, turns and twists. There're also the scary parts at which you just want to close your eyes and scream out loud. To every roller coaster though, you'll always find a turn or twist that you really like, which captivates your feeling with deep excitement even after the ride, the best part of the whole journey.
Before the ride, you would be somehow excited with the anticipation of joy. And as the ride goes on, you experience all these ups, downs, turns and twists. Soon you'll realize that the best part, turn or twist of your roller coaster journey is over. You still feel excited after the ride and you'll tell yourself or others that it was fun, and sometimes, you even promise yourself that you'll come back and ride that roller coaster again. I'm riding a roller coaster and it's slowing down to a stop.
Before coming to Japan, of course I was excited and full with anticipation of what were to be discovered in this hectic society. But I couldn't define that excitement at the time because I had yet to experience it. I remember during the pre-departure orientation at UCSD, my EAP advisor just looked at me and said, "Don't worry! you'll gonna have fun and you'll gonna fall in love with Japan." At the time, I took his words lightly. So I just smiled at him and thanked him. Now I realized what he really meant.
I had fun in Japan. And yeah, to some extent, I fell in love with Japan. I cant really pinpoint the reason, time, event or place that has made me feel this way. It's everything I did and saw from the begining of my program 'till now that added up and produced my current feeling about Japan. The people I made friends with, the places I went to, the environment, the fashions and the society as a whole all made contribution of my experience here in Japan. Maybe the strangeness, uniqueness, exotica, or the polite treatment I've been receiving here that makes Japan so appealing to me. Or maybe the fact that Japan is a modern, high innovative technological society but yet you stiil can find something old, antique and traditional sticks out somewhere in the middle Tokyo.
As my stay in Japan is getting to its end, I realized that the best turn and twist of my roller coaster are over. Of course, I still feel excited about what I have experienced. Definitely, this is one of those roller coasters that are worth of riding again.
This is one of the first pictures when I first arrived to Japan. During Summer Course '05, the first night out to karaoke.
The latest picture on my camera. Fri. Jun 9th '06, at 2MD ball party.
Everything else between these two pictures is my precious memory and experience in Japan.
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| Busy...busy... little bee!
Japanese professors really like group projects. Man... its driving me crazy!
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