Adventures in Immigration, part I

These past couple of weeks it seems as though there have been few things on my mind, mainly anything and everything pertaining to when I'm leaving this country, the countries I might visit before I do and the visa status I'll have when I do so; which is funny, because the past 2 weeks have been pretty eventful in their own right...

... I recently had the opportunity to wear a yukata (summer kimono) to a fireworks festival and outdoor party with friends. Wearing the yukata was really fun, I felt so beautiful and Japanese! Putting it on was a little complicated though; I looked at the directions that came with it (in Japanese but with pictures) and I looked at more directions online (in English), but I still needed a (Japanese) friend to help me put it on - especially the obi, the sash that goes around the waist and ties at the back. That in itself is like origami!

... I also got to go to a Japanese baseball game! While the game is of course the same, the experience of the fan greatly differs. For starters, you're allowed to bring food and drinks into the ballpark. Not only that - if you buy beer they'll pour it into a cup for you! It should be noted that I brought in a couple of Coronas and they had to hunt around for a bottle opener; glass bottled beer is not common over here (much to my dismay). I think the best part of Japanese baseball is the cheering. Each player has his own cheer and is cheered for the whole duration that he is at bat, even if the ball is being fielded. I don't know who makes them up, but the crowd seemed to have memorized each one, with accompanying hand motions and what seemed like full body dances. Not only that, there was small pep band in the back of the stands, and a real cheerleader in front. I mean, this guy was really a cheerleader! He had one drummer next to him and a megaphone in hand, and was leading the crowd in the cheers and gestures. It was deliciously interactive, except on a few occasions I got so into following the dances that I completely missed the play!

... and Thursday I CLIMB MT. FUJI!!!! As exciting as this sounds it has honestly been at the back of my mind for the past few weeks. In fact, just today I emailed one of the friends that I'm climbing with like, uh, shouldn't we buy bus tickets to Fuji soon? I guess she was spacing out on it too. We're doing what most Gaijin climbing Fuji do, which is arriving in the evening, climbing overnight, catching the sunrise and then hiking back down. As of now I'm about halfway prepared: I have a head flashlight (to keep the hands free for climbing), cannister of oxygen (in case of altitude sickness or something), and I'm pretty sure I'm good for cold weather gear, as it's pretty darn cold at sunrise on the top of Fuji. I still need: to buy the bus tickets, write out some postcards so I can be ready to send them from the summit, buy water and granola bars (or some other trail snack). If I'm inspired and have time I might concoct my own trail mix!