6 May 2009

We didn’t have class until 10am this morning, so I fully took advantage of my opportunity to sleep in until 9am. During class, Don documented who was in working with who for the final project, then setup appointment times with each group to talk about what they were planning on to work on. Norio and I were partners, and Derrick and Seth were partners, but we asked Don if we could take on a larger project and work in a group of four since we all wanted to explore similar things. Don was fine with it, and we decided upon an appropriate site to work with. After we were done with class, Derrick, Norio, Seth, and I embarked on the 40 minute walk to our site in Shibuya. The skies were very overcast, but it wasn’t raining yet. Once we were about halfway, it started raining. We stopped at a Lawson convenience store to grab a quick meal for lunch. I got a corn dog and tea for 231 yen, and the corn dog was so good! By then, it was raining really hard, but we walked over to our urban site to investigate and analyze it anyways. I took pictures of the site since I was the only one with a “cheap”, non-SLR camera. Haha.
After investigating the site, we didn’t want to head back to the NOMYC because there is nothing to do there. Instead, I wanted to wander around and check out the stores in the area. Norio went off on his own to do some shopping, and Derrick and Seth followed me. First we went to Uni Qlo, a store that I think is very comparable to American Apparel in the U.S. I was looking to buy a cheap pair of shorts, or something for warmer days, but I ended up finding a pair of skinny flood pant jeans on sale for only 1,490 yen. It was such a good deal, and I also got a pair of everyday sweat pants for 1,000 yen. They were both really good deals. Derrick also bought three shirts and a pair of slippers, and we ran into our friend John who was buying jeans. One really cool thing that I found out that Uni Qlo does is that they will alter/hem anything for you for free when you buy it. John had this done to his jeans since he is really short, and the alteration was really clean and quick. I was really impressed. Next, we went to Tokyu Hands. This is somewhat like a department store but much less formal. It kind of reminds me of a Target combined with a hardware store. Derrick and I both ended up buying pads for our shoulder strap on our bags since our shoulders are beginning to hurt from walking all the time. I paid a little bit more to get the pad with the rubber grid rather than the foam since the foam will definitely flatten over time, and I can already tell it makes a huge difference. I figure since I saved so much on the cost of my messenger bag originally since I got it at a second hand store in SF, I can afford to pay the extra 1,980 for the shoulder strap pad. Finally, we went to the Loft just to browse around. The Loft is always a store that I find fun and exciting.
I began to get hungry, so I wanted to try out the Kentucky Fried Chicken here. I ordered off of the Colonel’s Value Meal and got the small combo set. The small set came with two pieces of fried chicken, small fries, and a small drink. I think the KFC in the states is better, especially since I really enjoy the mashed potatoes and coleslaw, but it was still a nice change. The fried chicken was extremely greasy though, so that was probably the grossest part. We had already spent enough money, so we decided to endure the long walk back to the NOMYC. It was raining very hard and very consistently, so by the time we got back, my shoes were soaked all the way through. It was pretty miserable, but due to the humidity, the air wasn’t cold outside. It was a good thing I was wearing my rain jacket and had my umbrella. Once we got back to the NOMYC, I worked on my blog and Arch 420 assignments since I am still behind. It is really hard to stay entertained with no internet though. I’m just glad that my phone seems to be working because this is the time that the $70/month is really worth every penny!
For dinner, Seth, Derrick, and I went to Matsuya. It is a place similar to Nakau, but it actually gives slightly larger portions. It took us the usual 10 minute walk to get there, since everything is located by the train station, and it was still raining. The pork rice bowl was on sale for 320 yen, so all three of us ordered that. Derrick and Seth additionally had coupons for one free side dish, so we each got either salad or kimchi, along with the bowl of miso that was included. For 320 yen, it was a really great meal and deal! The rest of the night we hung out in my room and worked some more on our Arch 420 assignments. I am pretty much caught up now, so that is a big relief. I think the rainy weather and lack of internet is the main driving factor behind everyone’s newfound dedication to work on school stuff. Tomorrow, we once again have class at 10am, and no one knows what else Don has planned for the rest of the day. All I know is that the consistent rainy weather really sucks and prevents us from really seeing anything in Tokyo without getting soaked and having horrible photos due to the rain. Bleh. Hopefully by the weekend, things will clear up, and everyone’s spirits will be raised.