Early Nights, Aching Bones, and Nightmares

Despite what the title implies, I am still having a great time in Tokyo. This weekend was nice, though maybe not as fun as I had hoped. Friday, Sian, Shelvin, and I ate at a really nice Indian restaurant in Hachioji - a great city east of Tokyo. I paid a bit extra to get the second spiciest dish - and it was so worth it. My eyes were watering , my lips were burning, my nose running... this is not something you can do with a large group of people. It's a hobby to be enjoyed with close friends.

Saturday, Sian, Ian, and I headed to Harajuku for some shopping. I love this area - it's got so much character. Akihabara, the electronics district, was next - cool place! There's so much for sale, and you can find tax free stuff, too. I found the new lens I want for my camera... threatening to set me back about $650. Ouch.

After that, we headed to Naka-Meguro, a stop just south of Shibuya. I found a mexican place there on the internet that got great reviews. We met with Mick ad Teresa, and wandered around the area. It was gorgeous, and had a stong european vibe. The streets were clean, and lined with small boutiques and cutesy restaurants. There were christmas lights strung about, and bulbous street lamps. I will definitely be going back to this area - the Mexican place, too, was fantastic!

We headed to Shibuya for a few drinks, and then home. We were all still a bit 'knackered', as my english friends say, from the past week/ weekend of travel.

Sunday, it was back to Shibuya for a little outing. This is my FAVORITE area of Tokyo. They had the streets blocked off from traffic, and there were some bands playing. We walked up and down the area (it was a gorgeous day!), and stopped at Starbucks in the main crossing, where the only served TALL drinks!! NO Grande, NO Venti! I was intensely disappointed - I had been looking forward to my gargantuan latte for a whole week. Bullocks.

After that, and some sushi, we headed home. I was asleep with the sunset.

This week has been nice, though running is tough! My bones, not my muscles, have really started to hurt. Climbing down stairs causes pain in my shins and hips. I'm thinking it might be my shoes, but I only purchased them 3 months ago, and haven't had problems. I have been running a bit more than normal, up to 5k 3-4days a week, and 1 or 2 days of 8k. Two days of rest no matter what - so I don't know why I'm in so much pain. Hmph.

Last night I had a HORRIBLE nightmare that took me an hour to recover from. I purposely left my purse in an adjacent room at the YMCA of Japan (inside which I was running around trying to find a private bathroom - all of them were rooms with toilets lining the walls, and I was NOT having it!). When I returned, everything had been rummaged around, and my wallet lay open, and empty! Someone stole all of my cards! I went to this lady's house and we were trying to call the bank...

I realize it sounds pretty lame now, but you know how it is. Anyhow, that's my life update. Five weeks left of teaching here- I know I'm going to miss my kids already!