Just some quick blog entries, copied from my Japan blog. I still have 4 or more days to type up Dx I'll get to that as soon as I can! It's late where I am.

June 29/30 2009

I couldn't sleep at all the night before. For the past few days before today I was convinced that something bad would happen on the flight. So I was nervous about that. I also was extremely excited and couldn't believe I was actually going to JAPAN! I ended up just reading my book until like an hour before we were supposed to get up.

At 4 AM my parents and I went to the airport. The reason we were INSANELY early, was because my dad had to catch an earlier Flight to Portland OR for work and such. It was lame, but I was glad I got to say good bye to him. My small delegation's parents took a ton of photos and then we went through security and we were off! In our tiny little crop duster plane xD

When we got to San Francisco a small group (This small group minus one has now become my posse >:3 ) of us went on an adventure to find food. We ended up wandering around for like twenty minutes, and on our way back we found a mini-cafe' that had only been five minutes from the meeting spot ): <

We ate and met with the two other delegations that would join our 10 to make up our 42 member team! WOO! We then all sat together as we waited for boarding and I almost passed out. A few people took pictures of me with my Naruto blanket xD

The flight to Osaka was rediculous and long. Eleven frikken hours of absolute boredom. After finding out the tv shows on the plane were retarded I flipped to the tracking map (which I heard some of you watched us with the same map) And then passed out. I woke up every few hours to eat and check where we were. Apparently I was the only one who managed to get any sleep at all on the plane. No Jet Lag for me!

When we landed we went through crazy custom checks where we had to give fingerprints and get a photo taken. It was dumb. We then piled on a bus and went on a two hour ride to the first hotel. Everyone else passed out while I was able to look at the amazing scenery. Japan is alot like Oregon, aside from the fact it's amazingly humid here, where... it's not at home xD

Once we got to the hotel we dropped off our luggage and then walked to dinner, and found out fact one about Kyoto. When it rains... It POURS. Some of our delegation didn't think to bring umbrellas or rain gear. I had an umbrella but I, and my backpack which had books and drawings and paper in it got drenched.

We had italian for dinner and then walked back and passed out in our rooms.



July 1st 2009

I woke up around 6 AM feeling great and ready for the day's activities. After a large, and delicious buffet breakfast at the hotel's main resturant we all piled on the bus and went on a tour of Kyoto Japan.

The first stop was the Golden Pavilion. The whole place wasn't golden, only one building, but aparently the whole complex had at one time been this important guy's like... summer home or something? But when he died he made it into a temple. The actual Golden pavilion had been a guest house. The building was really pretty and I got a ton of pictures. There were a ton of Japanese school girls from different schools and they had like perfect hair, where mine was like frizzed due to the crazy humidity and heat. Most of the delegation bought a fan at the gift shop and we've all been carrying them around since.

Next we went to a castle and got to explore it, without shoes on! It was really cool and I got a ton of artistic inspiration from the costumes and paintings.In one of the gift shops I found a Naruto keychain and I HAD to get it xD I later found like 4 other different ones. Kori, you're getting a TON of Naruto stuff xD

I also noticed that the same school girls I saw at the Golden Pavilion stalked us and showed up at the castle! Creepy D:

We then went to lunch at the Kyoto handicraft center. It was buffet style and it was AMAAAAAAZING. After we got to go through all 7 floors of the center and shop. I got myself a really cool yukata and I got some gifts for friends.

We did some more exploring and then finally it was time for dinner. We went to a Korean BBQ and it was the coolest thing ever. Here's what goes down, You walk into a raised room (meaning you have to take off your shoes) And go to this table with a HUGE spit in the middle of it. After a few minutes the hostesses come and give you raw meat and light the spit, you decide what to do from there. I took control for our table and cooked like a bbq-ing PRO! >:3 Once everyone was done eating I decided not to waste the extra meat, and suddenly became a crazy pyro xD The whole experience was great, I wish they had those back home!