Places and Things in Japan

My week in Japan was spent doing training for work. This is the training center where I spent most of my time. It's in a smaller city, tucked away down a small side street. Thankfully the train ride from the hotel where I stayed to the training center goes against normal morning traffic, which means I actually got to sit on the train a couple times instead of being smooshed against the door.

This is the internet cafe where I had to go to check my e-mail. Normally there's free internet at the hotel, but apparently my new laptop didn't seem to want to connect, so it was off to the internet cafe. It was actually my first time in an internet cafe, so it was an interesting experience.You go up a small elevator just big enough to fit 2 people to the second floor. Once you get off the elevator there's a tight hallway lined on each side with tiny rooms. Each room has a desktop PC and television. Then they have rooms that just have a seat and footrest, or ones that are more like an elevated cushioned platform where you can lie out. Here's one of the cushioned rooms - that's pretty much how wide it is...just far enough to slide the door open.

So compact and yet very functional.
But the trip over wasn't all work. I did get a chance to do some shopping on Friday afternoon after class. I stopped by Shibuya to pick up some presents and took a picture of Shibuya's "Time Square". It's supposed to be one of the most crowded intersections, and this is what it's like almost all day! This picture probably doesn't do it that much justice, but you get the idea ^__^

And meet the newest edition to our bobbly-head family. I can honestly say that this one wasn't for me this time. Japan has a whole line of solar powered figurines that bob their head left to right in the sun. Most of the original ones look like smiley faces with bodies, but every now and then they will have ones like this or Winnie the Pooh or something else cute. Now we just have to find somewhere to put all of them...