しっぱいした

The internet at my hostel is acting up right now, so all of this is pre-written and copy+pasted back into the blog itself. My first night at Ace Inn Shinjuku was super un-eventful except for the English couple beneath my bunk going on for hours about their relationship as I puttered about getting my shower stuff ready and off to go.

Oh, here’s my review for Ace Inn Shinjuku:

It’s really worth the money if you’re into privacy and good, high-pressure showers. Showers cost 100yen for 10 minutes, but heck, if I can take a 10 minute shower, anyone can. It’s really clean, and thus far, all the people I’ve spoken to here are nice. Bunk beds are surprisingly big, I can sit up in them and 2 of me could sleep in one. Staff speaks really decent English and is super helpful. Only problem is that sometimes the elevator smells like feet. The bathroom’s are clean and private. People don’t really make much noise around here, so it’s like really quiet for whenever you want that mid-day nap. There are 10 floors in the building, and the only weird thing is that the common space is on the 9th floor. The television is broken and there is no Wii (they advertised it). Still, I like it. It’s really near Akebonobashi station, just take exit A3 and hike it to the left, you’ll see it after you pass under the overpass.

Well, today was a bust, hence the title of today’s post. I managed to get all my luggage back in one piece and scored myself a gaikokujin card, but a bank account and a pre-paid cellphone are beyond me. First, I went to UFJ?FUJ? or Mitsubishi Bank. Apparently it’s one of the biggest banks in Japan. They wouldn’t let me open an account because I’m only here for 4 months, minimum is 6 months. I’m afraid that might be the policy for all banks, but it’s just my conjecture at the moment. I honestly don’t know. I’ll try Mizuho or the Post Office Bank tomorrow to check again.

Cellphone-wise was nearly the same. I went to every convience store around me and couldn’t find one pre-paid cellphone. I even went to Roppongi’s SoftBank store and they told me they were out. More stock is supposed to come in tomorrow, so I’ll go again tomorrow.

My current mood is very blah. I’m nearing sadness but not quite because I’m still blissfully numbed out. I feel like I skipped the excited part of the culture shock transition and am now making my way to just adjusting. I think the worst part of my day thus far was that I did everything alone. The Ninja-3 are beyond my means of contact and I haven’t been able to grab anybody from my hostel and have them go out with me somewhere, anywhere. I’m like super independent lady. It also feels like I’m just passing time. I’m kind of super duper uber mellow and at the same time, lonely in that I really have no one to count on.

Oh yeah, Dan Andreano totally gave me this warning yesterday about avoiding the South Gate of Shinjuku Station because I had to traverse it during rush hour. Well, the Toei Shinjuku line is right off of that damn South Gate and I nearly got lost like 4 times. I even tried to ask a random Japanese lady and she totally brushed me off. TOTALLY.

Anyhow, I made it in one piece. I was able to phone home via SkypeOut. Now, if only I could get SkypeIn, I would be amazingly set.

At this moment, there’s some random Japanese guy that keeps flipping open my privacy curtains. Weirdo. Oh yeah, I bought some lotion today, seeing as how my hands are oddly super dry, and Japanese lotion is WATERY and now my hands just hurt. They’re so dry they hurt.
I’ve also just been subsisting on a diet of onigiri because I’m too lazy with my Invisalign to hop it to a real restaurant. I’m also trying to be uber savvy with my money and that’s just not working out. I blew $10 on transportation today. That’s about the same about I paid yesterday to get from NARITA! Since I’ve left my parents’ sides, not 2 days ago, I’ve somehow managed t blow $400 or so. Then again, that includes my 1 week stay at the hostel and my random ticket upgrade that I never should have shelled out for.

I’m a bit sleepy now, so damn the consequences, I’m off to nap!

UPDATE as of 10pm or so

Hmmm... yeah, I just took a 7 hour nap and after a shower and some movie/private time, I'll probably pass out again. I don't know why but Japan sure makes me super tired. Since I'll be in Roppongi tomorrow, I'm going to check out the sites there and see if I can be super touristy. ^^

Gahhhhhh~ I really do need some way to connect with the outside world, depending on my computer to be able to connect is a bit ugh. Off I go again, to the world of blankness.