Ikebukuro with Lori and her sister

I wasn't going to write a blog tonight because I'm too exhausted from all these 2am bedtimes, but I'll do it quick!

Today I went to Ikebukuro to meet up with my friend Lori from 2006 HOBY World Leadership Congress. We were roommates. :) She and her sister went shopping with me! Since I'm tired, I'll mainly just describe pictures.

On the way there, I couldn't help noticing in the station that nearly everyone was using their cell phone to text/surf the webs.

 Before Lori and her sister Eva got to Ikebukuro, I went into the basement of the Seibu department store and ate a lot of free samples. I took a video of one of the employees. This is what "IrrasshaimaseeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEE" sounds like, so you can see I was NOT exaggerating. :)

We walked to Sunshine City department complex, which was pretty neat.  We bought some clothes and earrings, and tried on sunglasses.

Yesss, look at that hat.

Very cute sisters.

Ikebukuro's Sunshine City mall.

One thing that was pretty funny was that we went into a plus-size store, but there were no fat people there. The clothes were definitely what a "small" would be at Wal-Mart (I remember getting frustrated at Wal-Mart as a kid because all the shirts were too wide and short for me). Here's a picture of a "happy price" shirt in the plus-size store, with a woman shopping there.

We then went to an underwear store and it was nearly impossible to find panties that would fit an American bootay like mine.

I guess we shopped til we dropped, although I didn't buy too many things. I was really tired and the girls had to go yukata shopping with their mom, so we parted and I went home. It was great to see them. Lori's Japanese was awesome! She's been learning it for a year and a half and is taking a month-long class here.

The view outside the Sunshine City mall:

For dinner, my host mom took me back to the Sushiro restaurant we went to on my first day in Japan. How fitting, because tonight is the last night I'll stay with them. I'm really sad! The sushi was great again. Now I'm at home and packing for Yuwa's house tomorrow. Before I go to the airport on Tuesday, I'll have to come back to the Moriyama's house to get my luggage, and we'll have dinner together on Monday. :) 

Dang, my Japan adventures are almost at an end. :( Tomorrow I will go with Rika to Shinjuku and see one of the tallest buildings. Hopefully I can see Mt Fuji from there (it is possible!). I'd better get to bed right now, then.