Two Long Weekends in a Row

I have very little time, so this will be done as quickly as possible. This week has been outstandingly busy (and continues to be so) so I'm sorry for the lack of updates.

Saturday, September 15
I woke up rather late and spent the day navigating the train and subway systems of Japan. I went to Umeda, where there is a five-story electronics mall and bought a card-reader for my camera so that I can now transfer photos onto the computer. Photos of Fushimi-Inari shrine are on Facebook--if you do not have Facebook, be patient with me while I attempt to find time to put them on photobucket for you to see.

Sunday, September 16
I went to the Eisaa festival in Osaka. I was rather disappointed in the festival itself (it was great for 5 minutes and then got incredibly repetitive). So, after about an hour in the sand pit on a hot day, several of us (myself included) decided we would leave said festival and go shopping. We found a shop that sells Playstation Portables (PSPs) for 16000 yen (approx 160$, which is a fantastically good price). I intend to research the PSP (can I play US dvds and games on the Japanese system, do I have to have a converter, and if so, how much does it cost...) and then reassess my finances and decide if it is possible to buy myself said item. I REALLY wants one because it plays dvds, cds, and mp3s, but I MUST research it some more to decide if it is worth the money. Also went shopping again in Umeda, this time at a 7 story mall, where I bought nothing (it was all so expensive!).

Monday, September 17
Respect for the aged day. I slept in until 1:00pm because I was so tired from walking all day Saturday and Sunday. Then I spent the rest of the day catching up on homework.

Tuesday, September 18 - Thursday, September 20
Classes and tests. Kanji test, vocab test, and still tired from the weekend so I've been exhausted. Today is my short day so I intend to hang out with Heather for 15 minutes after class and then go home and go to bed.

Friday, September 21 - Monday, September 24
Another three day weekend. My Dynamics class is cancelled tomorrow (I'm actually really disappointed!) so I'm going to Osaka with Heather. Saturday, we have decided that we are going to go to Osaka again to find the Sony building. The trip is between 400 and 600 yen (depending on which station you come from) and once you get there, I hear that you can ride the elevator to the top and explore the top floors for free. The top floors, by the way, are filled with electronics that Sony hasn't even put out on the market yet. You can play around with said objects, but I don't know if you can take pictures (probably not). For under 10 dollars round trip, that's not a bad deal at all!

Saturday, October 13
Okay, this is what has had me so busy all week--on this day, my Dynamics class is going on a fieldtrip to Hiroshima. I REALLY want to go because there's so much must-see places and must-do things in Hiroshima. First off, one of the top three sights in Japan (the torii in the middle of the lake) is there, plus we're going to hear a atomic bomb survivor speak about her experiences (once in a lifetime opportunity here) and of course exploring Hiroshima afterwards. Due to the timing, I will be spending the night in Hiroshima, and I have to take the shinkansen (bullet train) to get there. So, this week has been filled with paperwork, calculations, and making sure I can afford to go. This is one of those "I will give up going to tokyo if it means I can go to hiroshima" descisions, I think. Maybe not. We'll see. But no matter what, if I can go and still afford to live here in Japan, I am GOING to Hiroshima.