Earthquakes and meat volcanoes

I was awoken this morning by an earthquake. I would say that it was very exciting, but it wasn't really. It was just kinda shaky. (My host mom said it was a 4.2, but I dunno if the Japanese earthquake measurement system is the same as the American one.)

(Okay, I just looked it up, and it's not the same. It was a 4 out of 7 on the Japanese scale. That would mean that it's the biggest earthquake I've ever been through. WHOO.)

Anyway, I finished packing my stuff up, bid my host family goodbye (it was sad), and then rode the bus to Kyoto Station, where I (with the rest of my group) hopped on the Shinkansen to Yokohama. (Or technically to Shin-Yokohama, where we took a train to Yokohama.) Then we took another train to Kamakura, where we ate lunch, which was tasty. Then we broke into groups of four and met with Japanese guides who were supposed to give us a tour of some important landmarks near Kamakura. It. Was. Excruciatingly boring. Part of the problem was that our guide wouldn't actually let us look at anything, and instead made us walk places incredibly quickly and then stand just outside of where all the interesting things were and listen to him rhapsodize about random things. Plus I could probably only understand about 60% of what he was saying, 'cause he kept using all these historical words that no foreigner outside of Japanese history majors would know, and also he had a super thick accent (that wasn't a Kyoto accent...I miss my Kyoto dialect already) and mumbled. And when I wanted to go look at things that seemed like they might have maybe been interesting, I couldn't, 'cause we had to stick to a schedule. FRUSTRATION.

So that was pretty much a waste of 2 hours and 20 minutes.

So then we got on another two trains and went back to Yokohama, where we went to our hotel. It turns out that our hotel is located just outside of the Yokohama Chinatown, so we went there for dinner. It was actually pretty good (if expensive).* Also, there were soup buns, which we, for some reason, started calling "meat volcanoes."** And then we came back to the hotel room, and now I am typing this and about to pass out.

Tomorrow we're going to Tokyo (for real this time). One of my other classmates and I are going to try to go to the Ghibli Museum, although we don't know if we'll be able to get tickets. Other than that, I am planning on going to Akihabara and Ikebukuro, and maybe Shibuya if I have time. (Everyone has been making fun of me for wanting to go to Akihabara. REAL MATURE, YOU GUYS. KEEP ON CALLING ME DEROGATORY NAMES WHEN YOU THINK I'M NOT LISTENING. SOMEDAY I'LL BE RULING THE WORLD, AND YOU WILL BE SORRY.)***

Okay, I need to sleep now, even though it's only 10:15 p.m. G'night.

*Then again, I believe that any meal over $8 is expensive. I think this may have something to do with my total unwillingness to buy anything for myself.

**Less random than it sounds, 'cause the fillings were spurting out the top of half of them. But they were still tasty.

***Host mom: Where are you planning on going in Tokyo?

Me: Akihabara!

HM: [awkward silence]

Me: [squirm]

HM: ....do you want to buy a computer or something?

Me: .....noooooooooooooooooooooooo....

HM: But everything else that's there is for otaku.

Me: [awkward silence]

HM: I mean, it's all anime and manga.

Me: Yes, that's the point....

HM: [awkward stare] Oh. Well. Hmm.

Me: I'm sorry...?