Doing stuff

Since my last post was a bit long I decided to continue on a new one.

Ghibli museum

On Monday I finally got to the Ghibli museum. I've been meaning to get there for some time now, and finally managed it. You see, this museum has a system whereby you have to book tickets from a convenience store, in advance. Last year I tried to go there during summer holidays; checked three weeks before, and every time slot on every day was fully booked. Going on a Monday, however, was a matter of going to the convenience store at 2pm and buying a ticket for 4pm...

It's a bit of a trek out to Mitaka but I enjoyed it. The museum is designed as a big, rambling house to explore - full of odd chairs and mysterious doorways and winding staircases, and so on. You could watch a 15-minute animated short, and see animation techniques, and so on. There was even a cat bus for kids to play on. ^_^

Muza

Recently I went to Kawasaki Muza. Muza is the concert hall in Kawasaki; it's right next to the station and one of the most recognisable buildings in Kawaski. I'd never been there for a show, but a student invited me; her daughter (a former student) was playing bassoon in a concert. (For ages, my student told me she played the 'faggot'. Until today I never realised what instrument she actually played. Now I realise that 'faggot' is the German name for 'bassoon'.)

We sat in the front row at the concert. After the show I went out with her family to a buffet restaurant. Unsurprisingly, I wasn't allowed to pay... it was very nice of them and I felt very well treated. ^_^

(BTW, Mum, the mother who invited me is the same lady who sent you the Japanese souvenirs as a Christmas present.)

Gym

Tomorrow I'm going to a gym near Kawasaki station. My co-worker had a free coupon for two people, so we're going together. I have never been to the gym in Japan... I'm in pretty poor shape, I think...

Hiroshima and Miyajima

I'm thinking about going on a weekend trip to Hiroshima and Miyajima some time in the next few weeks. I'm looking at accommodation options now.

It makes me realise how far I've come, though, since my first week in Japan, staying in the ryokan in Kyoto, and finding the food so impossible to manage. Now, I'm looking at these hotel options thinking I would probably prefer a Japanese-style breakfast to a Western-style one...