Snow fell for the first time in Kanto this Winter, and I was really glad as it came and went really quickly. I don't want to deal with all of that ice on the road as I bike for 15 minutes straight to my farthest Elementary School anyway. This sudden snowstorm was also really strange as the day before it was in the 60's and there was no cloud in sight. Like I always say, Japan has only two seasons- Winter and Summer.
As much as I dislike the cold, I decided to go with one of my Japanese friends to Niigata for a skiing/snowboarding trip this month. The last ski trip I went on was terrible... but I'll give skiing another go. I think there was talk of an onsen at the ski/snowboarding resort so at least there's that. I went to my first onsen last month and it wasn't as bad as I would thought it would be. Aside from the freezing cold outside and the sausage fest, it was pretty relaxing! The cucumbers I also bought from the onsen were really good, and now I'm addicted to them. Once I get back from the trip I'll have another update.
With less than two months until Anime Japan, I've had a lot of preparations to do! I've already reserved the hotel and gotten the tickets. Hotels around the Tokyo Big Sight fill up months in advance for these kinds of conventions, for obvious reasons. I should probably go ahead and book the hotel for Summer Comiket as well, lmao. Anything to avoid that first Comiket train rush..... about that...
(Begin Rant)
You don't know packed trains until you go on the first train to Comiket. Everyone thinks that the trains in Japan are always so nice, and on time, and everyone is so polite.... no. Just no. Those trains are straight from the 9th circle of hell. Imagine your usually packed train, where most people waiting on the platform would see that the train is full, and you know, move on and wait for the next train. Oh no. Not on the first train to Comiket. If there is 10cm of space that someone can see, people are gonna push and shove until that space is filled, and people are spilling out of the train. Once you're on the train you cannot move, nor lift your arms. You are stuck inbetween the armpits of sweaty Japanese males who are not wearing deodorant. May god have mercy on your soul if you've boarded the train and are -not- going to Comiket. The entire cabin would have to be emptied, just for you to get off. Normal people waiting on the train platform just see the doors open and the car is filled to the brink. They just sit there dumbfounded. You aren't getting to Tokyo anytime soon. Not today.
(End Rant)
So with that, this time I'm gonna bite the bullet and just get a hotel room ahead of time. Plus after the event I'll actualy be able to hang around, and go check out Odaiba for a bit. I still haven't seen the big Gundam robot up close or any of the big entertainment centers there anyhow, so I wanna kick around there for a bit.
And as a side note, for those who have read this far, I'm gonna be cosplaying at said event next month. I've already started putting it together as it's gonna take some time. It's going to be my first serious cosplay, so it's gonna be very detailed.... Hopefully it will be done in time for the event. I think it will be unless something catastrophic happens. I'm not going to give many details on it, but I will tell you this. Two words. Monster. Hunter.
