Day Twenty-Four: Strange Occurances

Although I expected to go straight back to Otosan and Okasan first thing today, I actually got to meet ninjas and samurais first.

Okay, that totally didn't sound totally confusing and random. (Please identify that the sentence prior to this was typed using sarcasm and was not to be taken literally. If you do not know what sarcasm is, I suggest rethinking most of your interactions with other human beings on the planet earth).

What I mean is Mr. Suzuki took me to a… park, I suppose, that was modeled after the real-live-ninja/samurai-period in Japan. I got my picture taken with a rogue samurai!

By which I mean a samurai who was just wandering around with no evident goal in mind. But that can qualify as a rogue, right? Ah, what do I know? I don’t even know the meaning of the word ‘rogue’. It just sounds cool.

It was actually a pretty large park, and had many shops and restaurants. Because it was a weekday, it wasn't very busy, which was nice.

If this blog also bears a strong resemblance to total gibberish, please let me know. My brain is feeling a little foggy right now.

The park offered free shows as part of the entrance fee. You could literally just wander in and sit down. One of the shows we went to seemed to involve a ninja with crazy red hair who wanted to steal an evil vase, I think. He fought his way through a bunch of other ninjas before the boss managed to tie him up in ninja chains. But the red-haired ninja pulled a ninja escape and vanished.

Enraged, the boss sent his minions to search for Crazy-red-haired-ninja, but they were unsuccessful. Then Crazy-red-haired-ninja saved the day by defeating the boss and destroying the vase. Obviously the story went on longer than that, but I’m fairly certain that was the basic plotline.

We also went to a class where a man taught us about ninja weapons. This class was in English, so I understood what was going on. I managed to impress him when he asked me if I knew what the knife he was holding up was.

Me: “Um… Kunai knife, maybe? Kunai?

Him: *Eyes wide* “How did you know that?”

Me: “I’m really smart. Also, I, uh…watched Naruto.”

After displaying my impressive knowledge of ninja weapons, it was time to head back so I could meet up Otosan and Okasan and head back to Hamamatsu for the night. Together, we waved goodbye to Mr. Suzuki, and took the bullet train to the hotel.

It was the same hotel as the one we’d stayed in earlier on the trip- the one with no vending machines. Of course, this makes no difference if the thing you’re craving is Pocky, which I was.

Even though it was getting later, I decided that I needed Pocky the same way I’d needed grape juice earlier, and I’d likely die if I didn't get it. So I headed out of the hotel armed with the cell phone, my room card, and Kiku (the change-carrier).

I realized as soon as I stepped outside that I probably should have also armed myself with an umbrella, but I didn't’t have one anyway, so I sloshed through the rain without one. It didn't look like any of the stores were open, so with disappointment and the loss of a life, I turned around and started back.

That was when I started to get insanely paranoid about someone following me. I knew that logically there couldn't be anyone there, as I’d checked repeatedly and I was the only one out walking. (There were plenty of cars though, so nobody panic). I kept imagining what I’d do if I heard footsteps, and I found myself walking faster.

I purchased a drink at the same vending machine as before and got into the elevator with no mishaps. I pushed the button for floor seven, and experienced surprised and vague alarm when the numbers four and nine also lit up. I hadn't pressed them, there was no one else in there to press them, and there was just no way for me to have hit the buttons accidentally.

The doors closed, but the elevator only went up one floor before stopping again. There was no one there waiting for it, so I just closed the doors. Of course, they opened again on the fourth floor because of the button, but I shut those too. I didn't have to wait for the ninth floor because I was the seventh. Thankfully. I think it would have freaked me out to deal with that again.

There’s really only so much weirdness you can take in one night when you’re ‘alone’.

On second thought, if it’s gibberish, just leave it. I like it.