Well, it's 5:56pm my first Saturday in Japan, and again I am sitting at a Starbucks. Since my last entry, I have learned that Starbucks Japan does indeed have different sizes for their Frappacinos (previously thought otherwise), but the largest size they have is the grande... you should see the short size (their smallest size... it is almost like a shot it is so small). I am having much greater sucess ordering drinks lately... the golden rule being... smile nd don't let yourself get flustered.

Last night, I went out with Ryo to meet my old friend Rikiji (the former bassist from Oblivion Dust). Apparently, since I last saw him, the lead singer f Oblivion Dust (a young mixed guy who is a bit full himself), decided to make some changes to the group, and cut Rikiji... how anyone could not be happy with this guy is a mystery to me though. Rikiji is one of the nicest people I have ever met... just a great guy... Now he is on to a new band though, "Mega Eight Ball"... I'll keep you all posted for the tour dates.

Anyway, we went out for Yakitori and then ended-up meeting-up with a few of Rikiji's friends at another restaurant which we stayed at for several hours until about 4:30am (people in our party were still ordering food at 4:00am... you cannot do that at real restaurants in the states). It was a lot of fun, my Japanese improved slightly, and I started to understad the norm of evening activity...very interesting.

Tonight, I am meeting-up with my friends Anna and Haruka to attend a sayonara party for an American who is going back to the US... I have no idea what to expect, but I am sure it will be educational and fun...

Still hasn't hit me that I am here, it is like a game or a dream or something...my daily challenge is to navigate the train system which is of course extremely organized, and getting easier by the day...always a cultural goldmine though! Sometime soon I will write an entry about Japanese fashion.

Getting more and more freaked about money... hope my fears start to settle down soon...Thailand is not gonna be fun if I try not to spend any money...I really hope it is as cheap as they say!!

My eating habits are all over the map recently, that probably isn't helping anything... I will try to get on a better dietary track soon, but with so much travelling, I can't see an end in sight.

I miss everyone in the US, and find many things to remind me of the people I moved away from... Not an hour goes by that I am not wondering how and what everyone is doing...