Today was a national holiday. I got up at 8am. I left my room at 10am
when I heard the cleaning ladies in the hallway. I wandered to Starbucks next
to the hotel I had first stayed at in Sendai. I ordered food and drink, and
then read the previous day’s newspaper’s article about ebola. I answered an
email from F-sensei, using the hotel’s free wifi since I couldn’t connect to the Starbucks one. For Starbucks’s wifi,
you need to have an account with them, or a Yahoo! Japan account. The English
version of the instructions said you could have Google, Facebook, Twitter and
other SNS accounts, but on the English login page, there was nowhere to login
with SNS accounts under where it said to do it, and the Japanese login page
only had SNS login for Yahoo! Japan. I was glad I knew the hotel’s internet was
free and easy access.
After Starbucks, I went to find the 100 yen store, and then the bank,
although I knew it would be closed. I managed to find the 100 yen store, where
I bought a bottle of water, ribbon to tie around my souvenirs, and a bag to
keep my receipts in. Unfortunately, I forgot about the water until hours later.
I wandered down the shopping streets and got lost. Eventually I figured out
where I was and found Daiei, which was near the bank. Although based on the
signs, Daiei appeared to be a food mart, it had too many floors and I vaguely
had a feeling from previous experience that there might be other things inside
too. F-sensei had told me I needed to buy bedding, so I managed to find it at
this store. While I was there, I also tried on some clothes. I was startled
when the store employee suddenly said something and took my clothes away as I
stood in front of the fitting room stall. It turned out she was removing the
hangers and unbuttoning them for me so I could put them on easily. The skirt
was too tight and the shirt wasn’t flattering, so I gave them back to her. I left
Daiei and found the bank, which was predictably closed. I walked a bit farther
and spotted a familiar orange sign.
F-sensei had also suggested I visit Book-off, a used book and clothes
store, and there it was! I eagerly went inside. I probably should’ve checked if
they have more than just clothes and books, but I was too tired to put in the
effort (my backpack was very heavy, and so was the bedding and water bottle
(still forgotten). I wandered down a floor into another store with strangely
familiar clothes and realized I had somehow ended up in an H&M. I confirmed
this as I left the crowded store.
Then I wandered on, wondering if maybe I could happen on Forever 21
too, but I only found Uniqlo instead. Uniqlo was also pretty crowded. I decided
to head back to the hotel.
On the way, I stopped at a Matsuya restaurant. This is about when I
realized I had been carrying water around the whole freaking day and I didn’t
need to be thirsty. Anyway, when you enter Matsuya, you buy a food ticket at the
vending machine next to the door, then you find a seat and an employee comes to
take half your ticket. Later they bring your food. Water, chopsticks, and
condiments are at the table. There is a tea machine nearby.
While I was taking a break in eating my food, I looked at a flyer I had
picked up at the shopping district earlier. There had been a stage set up, and
looking through the brochure, I saw that there would be several more
performances that day. One was actually occurring in 15 minutes. I mustered up
my energy and finished my food, and then headed back to the shopping street.
I managed to find it. I could hear the music. It was a fashion show;
models were strutting up and down the red catwalk. There were some very popular
male and female models: everyone screamed and waved when they walked out. After
the show ended, I went back to the hotel. I rested for an hour, and then I went
back out with a lightened load to see the nighttime performances. I got lost on
the way there, and I hadn’t brought my map, so I relied on my instincts and my
memory. I managed to find it by following a shopping street, the flow of
people, and then the sound of beating music. It was more crowded that before.
This time I ended up in the back, which had a lot less energy than the people
closer to the stage. There was one tall male fan in particular close to the end
of the stage who was very enthusiastic when the singing pair AmiAya came out.
The night performances consisted of singing, modeling, and dancing.
Then I walked back to the hotel, trying to keep the route simple but
also short. I got a little uncertain, but I found the hotel.
Walking back to the hotel, I realized F-sensei was right when he said
Japanese people didn’t respect red lights at all. At least in Sendai, I’ve
already seen lots of bikes and several cars and quite a few people cross
intersections at red lights.
I felt lonely today. Seeing so many people hanging out together
reminded me that I don’t have anyone to hang out with yet. I also saw five or
six foreigners today, and each of them was with someone. I was jealous. People
also sometimes fell silent or stared when I went past. I’m very conspicuous, so
sometimes I think it’s funny and sometimes it makes me feel bad.
This hotel room gets a lot of street noise. Emergency vehicles come by
a lot, probably because it’s near the Tohoku University Hospital.
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