#skilltester

Barely opening my eyes and I notice that my body has slowly started to shut down. Haha nah seriously though, I am so bloody sore!! This is good though, I need these muscles to snowboard. A few stretches and I'm back on. I'll still take it easy today because it's my birthday on Friday and it’s going to be a big day woohoo! I've booked an authentic Samurai experience through trip adviser. They teach us how to use a katana first with wooden swords, then we get to cut shit up with a real one and finish with meditation! I am so excited! A birthday present to myself.

I get ready and seeings though I'm taking it easy, I'm going to wear the only dress I bought with some spider web tights I bought the other day! Kawaii!

I head to a cafe for breakfast called Cafe Frosch. The lady gives me an English menu but I read the Japanese one, just because I can :) a cappuccino and the German inspired sausage with the home made bread please! This lady makes bread everyday for her cafe. So amazing and it tastes delicious, it’s not as sweet as most breads you find in Japan. Winning!

After breakfast I head to one of the 2nd hand stores Miho recommended, this one was called Hand to Hand. Great name! The Japanese always come up with interesting shop names! I might start writing them down. I walk in and the first thing I find are some giraffe slippers. Hahaha brilliant I need some for the season and these are only $5! Last season I was given Hello Kitty slippers for Kris Kringle. Best gift ever but I didn't bring them this time. I wonder through and the store is so cramped. There's shit everywhere and you really have to dig to find some things. Standing in front of me is this old school Coke fridge! So vintage, so expensive. There's a vintage gum ball machine, antique  jewelry boxes, records, books, furniture, artwork, electronics and literally anything. A hoarders dream except there was one-of-a kind things in there too; they were ridiculously overpriced though. If I had enough kgs to come home I would've bought a few house hold things. So different.

Next I head into the main shopping mall of Kyoto. Walking through and I have no idea what I'm going to do next. There's an arcade with photo booths, games and skill testers. Woohoo, let's go be a kid and waste some yen!! I go in the photo booth which was fun, but definitely better with friends. I'm always a sucker for skill testers. I wonder how much money I've lost over the years? Anyway I put in 300 yen in one game ($3.50 aud roughly) and loose. And put 500 yen in this snoopy one which gives me 6 turns! Man I want snoopy to come adventure with me! On the 3rd turn I get it, wooo!!! Winner! I get really excited and turn around to see some people watching me hehe! I use the remainder of the turns to try and get the other one but I fail. One of the guys that was watching tries next but doesn't get it. I go play some other games! About 10 minutes later he comes back with a pink snoopy and says it's a gift for me! Naw bless! Now I have snoopy and his girlfriend haha! We start talking and go and grab a coffee. He's English is ok but there's a lot of silence. His name Yuto and he plays guitar in a band! Sweet. He takes me to Yasaka Shrine and we get some street food. Sugoi!! Then we say good bye and I continue on shopping.

I head home with some fried chicken. Oishii! A bit later I go to the supermarket, I want to make dinner tonight so I think I'll make sushi. This will be my first decent shop in Japan and I remember last year was so stressful because I just had no idea! Wow, this is actually so much easier now I can read some of it! Stoked! I grab some beer, chuhai, cereal, sashimi and the ingredients to make sushi!!

Get home and put the rice on, then shower while its cooking. I prep dinner (which is not much at all) and crack a sweet sweet Sapporo beer, ahh! Dinner was amazing and I can see myself doing this a lot this season. It’s so easy! For some reason I was worried there would be too much fish but I bloody ate it all! Cheering and full! I'm wearing my new slippers which makes me happy!! It's the small things.