No room on the train!

I am sick....you know, that kind of sick where you lay in bed feeling too yucky to go to the Doctor.  I had a slight cold and I pushed it a little hard.  I did have a friend here mention that I have been going non stop since I got here.  As I look back on all the pictures I have and the blogs I have yet to write I think she may have a point.!!  I am on my way back to good health, and so happy about that since my in-laws are on their way here in three days!  Their tickets were $800 EACH (yes, round trip!)  That is an exceptional price but keep a look out and plan your trip to see us!

One of the reasons I pushed the limits on my cold was to attend the Farewell dinner of two of the new friends I have made.  We went to Gonpachi for dinner. This restaurant was featured in the movie Kill Bill and was the back drop for a big fight scene.  It also has an amazing atmosphere and incredible food.  A great evening and in spite of my wagyu beef, perfect sashimi, and the sparkling saki, the train ride home will be most memorable for me. 

Since we moved here I have heard about the trains being so packed that people are pressed up against each other and they even have employees called "shovers" whose job it is to stand on the platform and shove people into the train so the doors can close.  I have told Gary that if I had to get on a train like that I would just stay on the platform and wait for the trains to get less crowded.  I never thought about being on the train and having more and more people board at each and every stop.

 Fortunately for me I was traveling with cough drops a friend had just purchased for me.  As I realized I would be about three inches away from about four different people's faces, I popped a cough drop in my mouth and passed them out to the friends around me.  One of the ladies in our group, Cindy, is a Cross Fit instructor and she was right next to me.  I told her I may flip out and try to claw my way out and that she should be aware of how much I hated what we were going through.  She made me laugh and after 30 minutes we finally began losing passengers instead of gaining.  If I could make you understand for one minute that my entire back, rear end, thighs, and calves were pressed up against a stranger, while the front of me is half-pressed on Cindy and the other half is pressed along a Japanese man who was playing a small portable video game with earplugs in his ears.  The train is very quiet with the exception of us giggling, and Cindy making perfect comments.  It was awful.  It was 10 pm and most of the people were still in work clothes just returning home.  Count your blessings next time your are stuck in traffic....it is better than touching strangers...or touching friends! (On the same trip, I was in a full body press against a friend and that was just as awkward as being shoved into the Japanese stranger!!)

I need to head to bed even though I haven't even mentioned my day spent at a Japanese High School, our tour of the Sensoji Temple, or my trip to get my hair done!  My hairdresser is a big surfer.....he always has great stories......