We got there without much hassle.
Now let me tell you how weird it was walking into that place. It looks just like the standard American restaurant. Which is really weird after having not seen them in almost seven months. They had a little placard on the table that said "pay at the table" like we do in America, which is really strange here. We had silverware rolled in cloth napkins. They still brought us hand towels to wash our hands before the meal though. After all, this is Japan.
I ordered a cheeseburger. And it was delicious. I miss meat. Just big slabs of meat. I have never cared for it before, but now all I want it meat all the time. So that cheeseburger was amazing. Also, I was reminded of American meal sizes. I couldn't finish it and I was so sad to waste the food. There are no doggie bags here. Drinks were good, even if horribly overpriced. I miss cheap Prague.
The waitress was super nice. She was also really patient while we counted out a large portion of our meal in coins. We tried to tell jokes to lighten the mood. I think it was fun for all of us as we got to practice Japanese and she got to practice English. And no, we did not leave a tip. It's extremely rude here.
On the way home we stumbled upon a Christmas lights display at the station. It was so pretty. We danced around like dorks and had a great time.
And the next day I cut my hair!! I was just going to wait until I got home, but after my friend Asa told me about how much fun it was. So this is how it went. I called to set up the appointment the night before. There are tons of salons all over, but this one was recommended by my host mom's friend. It's run by a young couple and one other person and located right next to the train station. I got there a little early. They had a cute little locker for my coat(s). Then they took the key for the locker and my earrings and put them in a little container. I went and sat down in one of the chairs and the wife brought me some magazines to flip through. I had planned on just telling them to do whatever with my hair, but while I was flipping through I saw a picture of the cute short bangs that a lot of the girls at school have. So we went for something like that.
One big difference between salons in America and in Japan is that not all salons in Japan wash your hair. There are plenty that say "cut only" on the outside. Those are all the cheap ones. I wanted my hair washed because... well it would be weird for me. They had a little glass on the counter in front of my seat for my glasses. My hair was washed twice and the while the conditioner was in, I got a head massage. Massages are pretty standard. Asa said that when she went they gave her a shoulder and hand massage as well. Afterwards was pretty normal. I was really happy to speak Japanese with the man cutting my hair and the old woman next to me. I mean, I speak Japanese all the time with my host family and friends, but it's completely different when you speak with someone you don't know and when there is no one there to back you up if you can't say something. It was a really good experience!
My hair is now probably the shortest it's ever been all over and I love it.
