Can't stand the cuteness
Jun. 2nd, 2007 10:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
katekatOk, so it's three days till I leave for LA (and then onto Japan). THREE DAYS! OMG.
Today I actually bought things I'm going to need for Japan... generic guest gifts (called omiyage)... luggage (yep, i now own big girl luggage, woot!)...shoes for walking around Japan...and crazy things like shampoo and girlie stuff just because I'd rather take what I have than have to worry about finding it right out.
It was a busy run hither and thither kind of time, but at least Neil tore himself away from the kitten long enough to accompany me to the mall. Apparantly my boyfriend is a mall rat at heart. I'm reminded of it sometimes, but not terribly often.
We've decided that my last night in town we're going to Ranch 616 for dinner, just because it's my last night in town for two months. The idea of that still staggers me. I have absolutely no idea how to pack for two months. Two weeks, sure, but months? I've set up my library as a staging area to collect all of the silly things I think I'm going to be taking with me. A backpack full of electronics, a bag full of girl things (face wash and the like), a suitcase full of clothes. It seems like so much and so little at the same time. Tomorrow's the final laundry day. I'm trying to pretend that I'm leaving on Monday so that way I'll still have time for all of those last minute freakouts where I tear my hair out and have to whip out to the store for that must have american item that i'm sure never to find in a metropolitan city like Tokyo. /sarcasm
There are TWO things that, today, are the supercutest ever:
1 - I received the most adorable bon voyage package today from my darlingest![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
elizabuffy ! It was filled with maps and guides to Japan (and one to her home city ... and EB, Neil says that it would be kind of cool to visit someday, so you might have to deal with both of us!). And it was in the cutest packaging ever. I swear, EB's a closet Japanese girl.
2 - the cuteness that is Ash! OMG. I'm sorry, I know I'm boring everyone with these, but .... LOOK AT THAT TONGUE!
for more frolics in the stuffed animals (and other freakishly cute images) go here
Today I actually bought things I'm going to need for Japan... generic guest gifts (called omiyage)... luggage (yep, i now own big girl luggage, woot!)...shoes for walking around Japan...and crazy things like shampoo and girlie stuff just because I'd rather take what I have than have to worry about finding it right out.
It was a busy run hither and thither kind of time, but at least Neil tore himself away from the kitten long enough to accompany me to the mall. Apparantly my boyfriend is a mall rat at heart. I'm reminded of it sometimes, but not terribly often.
We've decided that my last night in town we're going to Ranch 616 for dinner, just because it's my last night in town for two months. The idea of that still staggers me. I have absolutely no idea how to pack for two months. Two weeks, sure, but months? I've set up my library as a staging area to collect all of the silly things I think I'm going to be taking with me. A backpack full of electronics, a bag full of girl things (face wash and the like), a suitcase full of clothes. It seems like so much and so little at the same time. Tomorrow's the final laundry day. I'm trying to pretend that I'm leaving on Monday so that way I'll still have time for all of those last minute freakouts where I tear my hair out and have to whip out to the store for that must have american item that i'm sure never to find in a metropolitan city like Tokyo. /sarcasm
There are TWO things that, today, are the supercutest ever:
1 - I received the most adorable bon voyage package today from my darlingest
elizabuffy ! It was filled with maps and guides to Japan (and one to her home city ... and EB, Neil says that it would be kind of cool to visit someday, so you might have to deal with both of us!). And it was in the cutest packaging ever. I swear, EB's a closet Japanese girl.2 - the cuteness that is Ash! OMG. I'm sorry, I know I'm boring everyone with these, but .... LOOK AT THAT TONGUE!
for more frolics in the stuffed animals (and other freakishly cute images) go here
no subject
Date: 2007-06-03 06:00 am (UTC)That's a very good plan to think you're leaving on monday. i should start doing that.
Yay for pre-trip shopping...even if it can be kinda stressful.
I'm so glad you liked the package! I just wanted to send you a little something to say I was thinking about and excited for you.
*hugs*
~e!
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Date: 2007-06-03 02:06 pm (UTC)Also. It seems like you only just got told about the Japan thing, and now it is only three (two?!) days until you are going. THAT IS MADNESS (not Sparta). I cannot think of much else to say except I hope you will be randomly updating from Japanland? They definitely have the internets there, because Japan is Land Of The Technology and stuff. Eee! Also if you do not update I will miss you, and that would be Bad.
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Date: 2007-06-03 02:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-03 03:01 pm (UTC)1) Your own school supplies. From America. I HATE Japanese binders, folders, and notebooks. They CAN be cute as hell, but a notebook that's half the size (and half the pages) of my American notebooks isn't gonna last me very long!!! The "folders" here are not your traditional thick, open it up, and it has two pockets type folder. As for the binders here, I have NOT seen a traditional (American) three-hole punch binder. Nor have I seen American notebook paper. There is a two-hole punch binder that I'm kind of getting used to. I'm getting used to the notebooks and the binders, but definitely at least bring your own folders. Japanese folders are like this (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/nalesse/3976ae4f.jpg) As for pens, pencils, and erasers, etc ---- Japan rules.
2) Lots of lots of American deodorant. I have yet to see anything like Secret (or any roll-on/stick deodorant) It's all like sprays here. Luckily, I brought plenty of deodorant!
3) If you're particularly attached to a certain brand of laundry detergent, I suggest you bring just a bit of it with you, even if you think it might be too heavy or whatever. Northwest Airlines allowed me 70 pounds of luggage (per bag, and two bags). I'm not too fond of Japanese laundry detergent, because I have a strange love for Tide. I managed to find some Tide in a store, and I paid like 850 yen for a 15-load powder detergent. It's only like 300 yen for the same amount if you buy a Japanese brand. If I could, I would have loaded my suitcase full of some more tide.
4) Bring a lint brush. Yeah, they have them in Japan, but you don't wanna go tracking one of these things down. There's no dryers (or few), so your clothes love the lint.
5) If you have any THREE PRONG appliances. (Like this (http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/935832/2/istockphoto_935832_three_prong_plug.jpg). Make SURE you get a little converter/adapter thing. Japan does not use any three-prong appliances, nor do they have outlets for them. My laptop is one of those three-prong things. I'm SO glad I bought a converter, or I would be seriously, seriously screwed. It's only like $5 for two at Radio Shack.
6) Some Dental Floss. For some reason, I haven't seen it a whole lot. Maybe I'm just not looking hard enough. I saw some American floss in a store, but it was like 5x more expensive than it is in America.
7) More miyage than you think you need. You're gonna make lots of friends (or acquaintances) and you're gonna wish you had some silly little Texas trinket to give them. If I could do it over again, I'd buy like 10 keychains and more Austin postcards.
8) Little bottles of Hand sanitizer. Quite often, the public restrooms have no soap. I have yet to find any hand sanitizer here. :( Bring me some? ;) (jk) I'd tell you to bring a handkerchief (because sometimes there's no hand dryers), but they have 5832904832904 kawaii handkerchiefs here. Buy one here.
Stuff you don't need to bring (that I made the dumb mistake of doing):
1) If you can, don't bring American money or traveler's checks to Japan. It's 100% worthless. You can get your money exchanged at a bank of course, but if you can go to Japan without American money, it's one less chore you gotta do when you get to Japan.
2) 500000 toothbrushes. Even if the Japanese sometimes have bad teeth, Japan has lots of toothbrushes!
3) Your alarm clock. Unless it's battery powered. I brought my plug-in American alarm clock, and for some reason, it worked very strangely in Japan. Because Japanese has shorter (?) power cycles, my clock was like 80 seconds to the minute. So after a few hours of setting the time, it would be like 2 hours behind whatever the real time was. So buy an alarm clock in Japan. They have super cute ones! And if you think your American cell phone will be your alarm? -- you're wrong. If your phone runs off the network, you can't use it as an alarm clock. :( Don't find that out the hard way like me!
Sorry if you already knew some of this, but I wish someone had told me about this stuff before!
no subject
Date: 2007-06-03 03:07 pm (UTC)It's summer. Do not pack all your long-sleeved shirts!
Also, do you have a Nintendo DS? If so, I seriously recommend that you buy "Kanji sono mama rakibiki jiten" in Japan. It's awesome, you can write the kanji in and it tells the reading/meaning/etc!
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Date: 2007-06-03 05:31 pm (UTC)And yeah, hopefully it'll actually work. So far today? I have not accomplished much...
And thanks again darling for the package - it was awesome!!
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Date: 2007-06-03 05:33 pm (UTC)And Of Course I'll be updating from Japan! Actually, it's all likely to get even more boring in my lj because I'll be posting lots and lots about each day ... using it as a travel diary....but I promise to use cuts so as not to bore everybody too much. The scary part? The corporate pirate's parents have asked for the addy so they can read too... they will find out how much of a freak i am, after 13 years!
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Date: 2007-06-03 05:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-03 05:37 pm (UTC)This is stuff that I've been trying to get my other friend in Japan to tell me (and all she told me was "pack friends" which was NOT helpful). Thank you SO much!!!!
OMG. Thank you so much! I'm going to take your advice in everything - and I was thinkign that the school supplies might be different so I've already got my notebook and stuff purchased.
Question on the plug thing - you know how sometimes there's a two-pronged plug where one side is a little wider than the other side - does it still fit in Japanese outlets or should i look for converters that are completely equal?
And again, seriously, I can't thank you enough sweetest - this is invaluable stuff for me to know!!
Are you gonna be able to come up to Tokyo some weekend for a visit or something? I finally got my schedule, too, so i know which free weekends I have and which ones we're taking field trips.
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Date: 2007-06-03 05:38 pm (UTC)sadly no nintendo. i wanna buy a denshi jensho when i'm over there though...
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Date: 2007-06-03 08:26 pm (UTC)That is good. I do not want to loose you again like I do when you have, you know, university work on ;)
As for Corporate Pirate's 'rents? New LJ name, linking to this one? KateInJapan ! ? :) I don't know what they're like, obviously, but maybe hiding the slash links etc is a good idea?
no subject
Date: 2007-06-03 08:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-05 07:09 am (UTC)Anyway: I hope you have a fabulous trip over! Lemme know when you get there at settled! I'll be missing my kate!fix.
Love you much!
~e!
One Sentence from Einstein !
Date: 2009-12-23 09:04 pm (UTC)"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." - Albert Einstein !
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