If I'd known there would be fireworks and all in the main Yokohama area, I would've asked to stay over at my uncle's place on the 31st instead of the 30th! So wasted, urgh! But since I couldn't do a last minute change, we watched silly shows and followed the countdown on television at my grandparents' place.

Another huge spread at breakfast (I was dragged out of bed earlier than I wanted to be out. look at my bed head! >.<) before we headed to Kamakura to squeeze with the crowd to do our first prayers at a temple. Since it's a Japanese custom, we simply had to put up with the pushing and being pushed! And my grandmother was damn mean, just because I have tall friends, she said I'm short. All because she wanted to give some clothes that she has, and she thinks I'm about the only one who can fit because of my height, or lack of it. -.-

While Yoon Jeong went back to Tokyo to bring her friend around after a day of temple visiting, Shuying and I continued to Kappa Sushi for a yummy dinner! I love it that all plates of sushi there cost 105yen (slightly more than S$1.30)! Dessert prices vary, but 105yen for stuff like scallop is awesome, since that usually cost 210yen/plate at other places. I want to find Kappa Sushi in Tokyo!

The second night, I was going to shower when I was too rough or something when closing the door, and the whole shower curtain railing dropped off with lotsa clanking. As I about to pick it up and wonder what to do with it, there was a blackout! I was damn scared in the pitch black bathroom stark naked, so I was quickly fumbling to find the groove in the door so that I could yank it open, grab a towel, wrap myself in it and find company. I think fear overrode embarrassment, so I didn't care if my grandma and Shuying saw me clad in nothing but a towel on the first day of 2008. But I felt bad my grandfather had to be woken up because my grandmother didn't know how to restart the generator or whatever it's called to get the lights back on. So even he saw me in the towel. =s Then he went to the bathroom to try to fix the railing, which was lying half in and half out of the bath tub, where I abandoned it in my fear of the dark, oops. What an eventful new year night. Bleah.

Everyday that we were at my grandma's place, it seems that we were perpetually stuffed with food. My grandma was always coming out with the kitchen with some snack or other, and breakfast felt like lunch, which we skipped because we were too full, and then we have late dinners. The last day, we bummed around and stayed later than we expected, probably because we got a late start to the day. Then my grandma took out my mom's kimonos to show me, and man, were they pretty! I feel tempted to bring them all back to Singapore, for what, I have no idea. My grandmother says I can wear them on cooler days, but c'mon, in Singapore?! Everyone will look at me weirdly! Bleah, then my grandparents let us go pluck the oranges from their tree. So many oranges! :D

Grandfather gave us a lift to Yokohama to my uncle's house to deposit our luggage to go shopping, before my uncle sent us back to Tokyo. I was so happy to see my cousin again! He popped out of the house with a cheery 'yo!' and drove us to Yokohama for us to go shopping and take neoprints. Maybe it's like Yoon Jeong said, he doesn't seem like a cousin, but more like a new person I'd met. I want to get to know him better, but I can only wait to see if he will contact me. Then again, even if he doesn't, no matter! I'll be back in Yokohama again next week! :D Then I'll get to wear a kimono; I'm so looking forward to it! I just hope the numerous layers isn't going to make me look too fat, or that I'll trip and fall, or they'll give me a weird hairstyle, or do my makeup too white or something. I'm vain, I know... Most of us here in Japan want to wear a kimono once, and who doesn't want to look good in one!? Shuying sent me a picture of her wearing one today, and she looked too cute for words. :)

I think my uncle tries very hard to show us all there is to see in Yokohama, like wanting to show us Bay Bridge, Rainbow Bridge... He even wanted to show us Takeshita-dori in Harajuku if there was time! I think this trip was good in that I got to talk to my jolly uncle a lot more. I guess when we were kids we didn't talk that much to adults; we just stuck to our parents. I also never realised that my uncle was so gentlemanly; He kept opening the car doors for us, and gives us this and that... When we reached my dorm, I realised he packed a lot of stuff in his car boot for me. Even after I split the goods with Shuying, I currently have:

1 carton (6 1.5l bottles) of Aquarius
1 carton of green tea
1 pack of chocolate covered vanilla cream sandwich pie
1 pack of chocolate biscuit-like pie
2 'packets' (10 boxes) of tissue paper
2 packs of fujiya home pie
2 packs of kit kat
2 packs of chocolate
5 plastic cups
8 pairs of disposable chopsticks
9 packs of yakisoba cup noodles

What a whole load of food! He says he had all these at home, but I really wonder if he didn't run out to buy me some stuff when my aunt wasn't around. I have a kind uncle. :) With the presence of relatives and friends, this trip to Yokohama has been extremely awesome, and not slightly dull as it usually is! The next one will probably be quite memorable. I'll post pictures if I think I look good! Hahaha...