Rain, Rain, Go Away

So, after Rain ruined our plans to visit the famous shrine in Kyoto, the one with a gazillion red arches to the temple, we ended up deciding we would go on Saturday, and today, we would go to yet another mall (I went to one earlier with my host mom, where I bought some stuff for school).

Now, don't think it's nice and cool her with all the rain. It is hot, so hot that I can't seem to get cool by sitting in front of the fan for an hour. Little kids on the way home looked like they jumped out of a pool it was so hot. Let me just say, I am glad I do not school this week.

And this is a picture of Lake Biwa by the way, and yet another Ferris wheel. I have seen more Ferris wheels here then ever in my life.
So at the mall we walked around. I had fried ramen for lunch, yum. We went to a book store, a pet store (some of the cutest dogs I have ever seen are there, but not as cute as my dogs at home) , and the arcade. Now, Japanese arcades are completely different then American arcades. For one thing, they are everywhere. They don't have the prize thing going on, but they do have a million claw games with a variety of prizes. This game is one of my favorites. You pretty much hit the Taiko drum to the beat, just like Rock Band, or more like DK Bangos for the Game Cube (of which I own). This guy is a master: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHvfMECCkMs

And of course, the manga... I can't read it, but I love how they come in thick books and there are a million different kinds of them. They are weekly or monthly and some even come with prizes. The one on top came with a page protector (so when you right your indents don't go onto to the next clean page) and a Nyron planner. The bottom two, Ciao, are for younger 'tween' aged girls. They don't have very famous American known titles, unlike the one on top. They also have some pages folded because I was given them as a gift by my Host Family's cousins.

Augh, I am full from my host mother's delicious tomato soup. I have never tasted tomato soup that could ever. Campbell's is nothing. And it made, for some reason happy and energized. (Energized I can understand, but happy?) Japan is really starting to grow on me, and though the heat is somewhat unbearable, and the stares are obnoxious, I still feel at ease her, and more relaxed. But not so much "OMG, I'm in Japan!" But, "Hey, that's cool, augh, I really can't wait to do this more."