TIME:: Friday May 21st, 16:24

Wednesday (two days ago) was rainy. Geoff would be coming into Tokyo late, so I bought a bag of Doritos, cheddar cheese and jalapeno. This is unusual of me because the "Doritos" they sell here are NOT the Doritos I:ve grown to love back home in the states. The imported (from Britain) Doritos we get here are a little staler, not as crisp, less flavor... You get the idea. But it was a new flavor, something that happens only 4 times a year, so I give it a chance.

!!!

And I was happy. Still stale and somewhat not good... BUT WHATTTTATA! They tasted EXACTLY like stale nachos one would find at a movie theater. Minus the fake cheese and expired jalapeños, of course, but SAME TASTE.

Hachiko is always best when it rains. Someday I will have a better camera and take a better shot. Something personal about me, in case you were curious. There:s just something about all those people and umbrellas.

Cut to 7:50, when Geoff shows up with his younger brother. We go to Tenya, for the tempura, which is considered a national treat here and in Spain.

Check it out! JR Rail Passes. Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet. With these babies, Geoff and David could travel non-stop all over the country without having to pay. It:s like a American Express Black Card for trains.

Huh, are 1 gig SD memory cards a little too big, or just big? Also, this is the official start of "Day 2: The Day They Spend In Tokyo". And about the time I tried to teach them the proper way to use "teh" and "O-M-G-!" in daily conversation. They were not teh amused.

So where better than to jump from Shibuya to Asakusa by Ginza line? ... With a top speed of 15 km an hour, this IS the perfect thing to have shown Geoff and David when they said "We want to see Tokyo", take my word. Wait, no. ACTUALLY the one place with the temple and the road and the things you can buy by the other smaller temple and famous place that is on postcards IS the place to see, which is what I did. See the ramen paper lantern? There were like 4 more of these there and they were much, much, much-much larger, and more RED somehow.

Where is Uyeno in Tokyo?

Answer is "not on any map". Thank you, I:ll be here all week, don:t tip your waitresses, drive home safe!!

Ramen, ramen, ramen... Oh and after Uyeno, we walked south to another area of Tokyo, known mainly for its used stores and arcades. Around this time we made arrangements to get some tour-guiding from Nick, so we ducked into a Skylark Gusto for lunch.

By the by, this is David. (19)

And here:s his big bro, Geoff. (34)

See, for the most part, table sugar is not found on the tables of most restaurants in Japan. They got a gum syrup which is not only very sweet, but a good source of carbs, so David up and chugged like .... 8 or so. Roughly the amount for 3 cups of tea, so it may be a lot, depending on your taste.

Airsoft stores also have Gundam Models. And Osama dolls. And Osama dolls on Gundam models.

Another shot from the side. ALSO, I will head back sometime later, when I get about 20 bucks saved up, there was something hella-cool I want to get.

From that small plot of arson-happy slums he jumped on the Yamanote and headed towards Harajuku, no meet up with Nick. What REALLY happened was that we jumped off the Yamanote line, jetted across Tokyo, crazy FFD-taught style and basically returned to the Yamanote Line with 10 minutes saved. So I figured it would be totally cool to PRETEND I missed the Harajuku stop and switch trains back up the Yamanote at Shibuya, where I totally used my psychic powers to find Nick and now as a party of 4, we headed towards some shrine or wedding planner. Something old and historic that screams how famous and beautiful Tokyo is.

And while I may not remember the name of that outdated movie set I will remember seeing these really cool stick thingies used to beat the drums. It:s the closest I:ve been to one in real life.

Don:t anyone, EVAR mess with this guy! And like they say, if you need to ask... Then just ask Tim Rogers, because his Japanese is perfect and Lord knows he likes getting emails. This picture was taken while walking back from Harajuku to Shibuya.

From Shibuya, a jump on the Toyoko Line takes us 3 (Nick had plans which I can:t repeat here) returning after a long, long day. Pikachu says I walked 25,666 steps that day, and boy, does it feel like we did. Saw six stations, and 12 different trains that day. Yep. So dinner at McDonalds was in order, especially if I suggest it, which I did. End damage was one Teriyaki burger, 5 double-cheeseburgers, 6 small fries and 3 waters. Ignore the fact that by error we were given an extra Teriyaki burger. Recieving free food items at McDonalds happens all the time, I assure you.

ha-HA! A few beers and watching a few FF Dog videos ended the night. David said something funny about this picture, implying that I am an alcoholic or something like that, so I wrote it down, then forgot to bring that quote to school today. Also I was late to school today. FRIDAY.

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Thursday is considered to be a school day in 6 out of 7 continents. The more you know...

PEACE!!