October

First I would like to introduce you to my new favorite place: Yoyogi park.

I went there on a whim one Saturday afternoon. It's right near the Harajuku station and near the Meiji Shrine too. The weather was really nice that day, so there were people everywhere.



That's right near the entrance, just a huge long field. On the other side of the path is a rose garden. Then you come up to a giant fountain.



There were people there playing frisbee, baseball, badminton, riding bikes, eating lunch, breakdancing, playing those long Australian instruments, all kinds of things. There were even a bunch of groups of people having dance practice, so I got to watch them too.



The place is so big, but basically there are more ponds, trees, and fields for acres and acres. I stopped for a bit to read by a man playing his violin, but the mosquitoes were eating me alive so I left. I love how this giant park is right in the middle of such a huge city. It's really a lovely place~

----------------------------

The next day I went to the Niji no Kai (international club) BBQ. It was at a place called Izumi-Tamagawa which is right on the river that divides Tokyo and Kanagawa prefecture. I cross that river to get to Waseda for class. (To Deb- I take the train, 4 different lines, and it takes about 1.5 hours from home to classroom.)



So this BBQ is nothing like a BBQ you are thinking of. It was under that bridge and there were lots of groups of people and I think all the barbecues were rented from the same place. And the food was kalbi beef and vegetables.
Our group was about 200 people. We took up an entire street when we were walking from the station. This is all niji no kai people-



Food for everyone-



It was a lot of fun and I met a ton of new people. Later that week I hung out at their table in the student lounge and met more people again and talked to people I know already. This club has lots of fun people and they are all interested in meeting people from around the world. It's a lot like the COW House at OWU, so it's right up my alley. I'm going to continue going to there events and chilling at their table~

--------------------

Thursday was my birthday! Thank you everyone for birthday wishes :D
I don't have classes on Thursdays, so I already had the day off. I planned to meet up with one of my friends who is also on the program with me for dinner, but when I got there there was a whole group of people waiting for me! They got me a little pastry with candles and sang too.



Most people were busy, but of few of us went to this English pub called Hub. It seems to be pretty popular with Waseda students.



On my way home, the takoyaki stand was open so I finally got some! This stand is only open a few times a week and it's right near my station. But every time it's been open, I was either full or late or something so I didn't get any. So I finally got my takoyaki and they were delicious :D Takoyaki is octopus cooked into a ball with batter, and then you put sauce and bonito flakes on top.



---------------

Lastly, I have a quiz/survey for you guys: Name public places or situations in which it is socially acceptable to be touching total strangers.

I'm curious to see what kinds of things you come up with. I'm thinking of one place in particular that might surprise you haha