So, today's Sunday, so today's the first day of regular blog. But I overslept so it will be short. Koenji is really growing on me. I am really beginning to get a hang of where everything is. I recently found the outdoor mall thing. Its pretty much a normal line of clothing stores, but with a cover over it. Which is very useful since its in the middle of the rainy season in Japan. So its been raining a lot.

I hvae been lucky enough to try many new foods. I have really enjoyed Japanese curry, which is not nearly as spicy as Indian curry, which is a mild disappointment, but its really good none the less. Last night I went to a tempura place. I know tempura is not something that is new to me, but there were stuff that was tempuraed (is that even a word? I don't think so, but you should know what it means) like green beens, squid, and the oddest (but surprisingly the most delicious) pumpkin. I have also tried taiyaki, which I have heard great things about. It is a pastry (the outside of which that tastes kind of like pancakes) that is filled with various things, from bacon and eggs to chocolate. The thing that makes it interesting is that taiyaki is shaped like a fish. And not like a goldfish cracker, but it looks like real fish. I will upload pictures of it later. I have also tried epiyaki and takoyaki. Both of which are fried balls filled with some kind of creamy substance and a kind of seafood. Epiyaki has shrimp inside and takoyaki has octopus. I personally liked Epiyaki more. I also tried Natto, and I liked it. Most people don't because it smells...really bad, but I personally liked it. Which reminds me, I have some Natto in the refrigerator that I need to eat later.

Considering how sprawled out and large Tokyo is, I think I have quickly gotten use to making my way around the city. Most of the city is covered in train tracks. so the train is a very common mode of transportation. I have gotten very used to getting around on the train. When I first came to the city, I was kind of overwhelmed at the size of Koenji, let alone Tokyo itself. I remember passing a store covered in Evangelion (a japanese anime I watch) pictures, I was at first very glad, since I assumed it was an anime store. Turns out it was a pachinko parlor. Pachinko is a very popular place where people can get around the fact that it is illegal to gamble in Japan. People play games, and instead of getting money, they get little stuffed animals. Near the parlor, there is a man that will trade your stuffed animal for cash. So, I was disappointed. I also realized that Pachinko parlors are very popular and are the loudest store in Tokyo. Which actually tells you how quite Tokyo is. You see, when I imaged Tokyo, I assumed it was a large city like New York. Large skyscapers, too many cars, and very noisy from cars and people talking. NOT the case, there are few cars and even the ones that exist are VERY quiet. NOBODY talks, and even when they do, its very quiet, so you never hear people. So when I say that the Pachinko parlor is the loudest building in Tokyo, if an average loud American is a 5 on the loudness scale, then Pachinko is a 2.

Also, I have begun to go to Japanese Universities to meet fellow Japanese college students. My group goes to ICU (International Christian University) and GaiDai (Tokyo University of Foriegn Studies) luckily both universities require intensive english courses, so most people have a really good grasp of english. Many of the students of ICU are students that have spent several years in America. AT ICU, I met three Japanese students, Wataru, Yuta, and Taichi. The three of them were very interested in meeting us. They really want to meet us again and want to become friends. I am very glad, since one of the goals of this trip is to get to know Japanese students and become friends with them, so once they get to know us, we can share the gospel with them. This is a required process, since if we start BEFORE becoming friends, you can scare them off (yes, like cats and other small animals. You need to get to trust you or else you can scare them off, Japanese culture has made people really shy).

Yesterday, I had an amazing adventure. Most of the group when out together, but I spent the day with my roommates Kylan and Josh. We went to a soccer game that two people that Kylan and Josh knew were playing in. It took a long time to get there, but it was more than worth it once we arrived.

Well, I have to go, see you next time.