All the old posts from the old Your-Japan.com on the Your-Japan Blog Network

So I’m on the flight to Maryland now. It’s not too bad, but WHY IS IT that no matter WHERE I’m going, as soon as I step onto the plane, my period starts?! I’m also starting to get a headache and the coffee I’m drinking tastes like raw sewage.

But all is not lost. I’m really starting to look forward to my trip. My aunt and uncle are nice people (though wallpaper has a more interesting personality than the two of them), and their kids are…well….brats. They have an eight year old boy and a four year old girl, both of whom are pissing themselves with excitement at my visit. Beats me why. I’m horrendous with children.

I know I’ve been absent for quite some time now, but I still have loads to tell about my recent visit to Japan.

To get the ball rolling, I guess I could tell you about my date with Fujiomi. See, we had been officially dating for a few weeks, but had never been on a date before. I was actually wondering for a while when we would get to that part, but seeing as I had never really been on a real date before, I was afraid to bring up the topic with Fujiomi only to get mocked for my own ignorance. However, one afternoon, only days away from final exams, Fujiomi walked into my classroom during break and tugged me from my group of friends.

Fujiomi: Don’t make any plans this Saturday.

Me: Huh?! Why not?

Fujiomi: I have plans.

Me: Okaaay….Well, good for you.

Fujiomi: Idiot- I have plans for US on Saturday.

After that he turned on his heel and walked away. I told the girls what happened and they LOST IT. All of a sudden they were yammering on about what to wear, how to do my hair, my nails, my makeup, where we were going and how "far" I would let him go. I wanted to talk to Fujiomi about it more, to know where we would go or what kind of "plans" he had in mind, but he never brought it up again, and when I asked, he’d give me his patented *shrug* "Whatever" move. It seemed like Saturday would never come, either. But finally, it did, and I was woken up at the buttcrack of dawn by Sukiko.

Sukiko: Hurry, Pandora-chan! Fujiomi is already awake and getting dressed! If you don’t hurry, you won’t be able to leave with him!

Me: Nnnghhhh….bwahhh…..? Leave…Go what? I just….I’m gonna play….one more level, then….zzzzzzzzzzz

Sukiko: PANDORA-SAN!!! pelase wake up! Today is your Super Special Date!

Me: ……………………Date?

Sukiko: Yes! Remember?! Your date with Fujiomi! Hurry and take a shower, and get dressed, please! We all worked hard to put together the perfect outfit for you!

Me: "We"? Wait- what outfit?

I looked around, and I saw that Sukiko had no less than six different shopping bags with her.

Sukiko: Nana, Mai, and myself all pitched in to buy you a really cute outfit today! We all took turns going shopping and taking pictures of different styles to find clothes that fit you. Pandora-san, you’re pretty, but we know that you rarely think of fashion or what to wear. Since today is your offical First Date, we wanted you to look the part! Also, we want Fujiomi to be suprised; he’ll be the envy of every guy he passes, with you on his arm today!

I honestly didn’t know what to say. Sukiko was right- I tend to find clothes that (mostly) fit, in colors I think look okay, and wear whatever’s clean. I’m not a big jewelry fanatic, and I HATE accessories like purses and hats and belts. I’m the epitome of simple style- and the opposite of what’s fashionable in Japan. The three of them had worked so hard- I could just imagine Mai snapping a picture of a blouse in a store window and sending it to Sukiko’s cell phone to get her opinion, or Nana in her Goth Loli strolling up and down the streets of Harajuku, looking for just the right shoes for me. I thanked Sukiko profusely, but she said the real way to thank her was to not let her efforts go in vain, and I swore that they wouldn’t. I would work hard and really clean myself up to be worthy of the clothes they had chosen. I took a quick shower, and when I was walking back to our room, I walked past Fujiomi’s room and caught a glimpse of him putting some spray stuff in his hair and styling it, while muttering a few choice swear words in English and Japanese. When I got back to the room, Nana was there. She said she had come to help me with my hair and makeup while Sukiko was taking out and laying down the clothes from the many shopping bags. I told her that I wasn’t used to makeup, but that I trusted her judgement and appreciated her help, all while thinking, Don’t make me goth loli! Don’t make me goth loli! Please, for the love of all that’s good in the world, don’t make me into a goth loli!!!!

Nana got to work on my hair immediately, blow-drying it straight with curls on the ends. I was suprised at how proffessional she was, but considering how much time she must spend on her OWN hair each day, I guess I shouldn’t be too shocked. After she did my makeup, I put on the clothes they picked out. The shirt was a bit tight, but they had purposely picked out a shirt with these weird adjustable straps on the sides. "Well, considering your large chest, it was only fair. We wanted you to be able to breathe." Nana said. The next part was really suprising- they had bought me Daisy Duke-esque shorts to wear with it. I NEVER WEAR SHORTS. EVER. But I put them on at their insistance, and sure enough- it made my ass look wider than the whole country of Japan. "You have such long legs, Pandora-chan! It would be a shame not to show them off!" Sukiko said, "Besides, the jacket will cover the shorts anyway." Jacket? On cue, Nana pulled out a tailored jacket that went down to my knees. If I buttoned the jacket up, I looked like a flasher. I didn’t say that, though, considering how much thought and effort they had put into it, so I let them put the matching belt, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, hair clips, and shoes on me. the outfit all matched perfectly- like something I would see in a fashion magazine on a woman half my size. Sukiko and Nana ooh-ed and ahh-ed over it, put the final touches on my makeup, and did my nails. Actually, they had these weird acrylic nail machines where you, like, put fake nails inside a tray, put it inside the machine, pick a template and colors, and press start, and it actually airbrushes the nails for you. Fake nails were a new thing for me, but some girls change their nail style every day!

When they finished, I looked in the mirror and abrely recognized myself. The makeup and hairstyle really called attention to the fact that I was a gaijin, as well as the rather tight top. While I looked at myself, Fujiomi knocked ont he door and said it was almost time to go, and he hoped I wasn’t still asleep. Sukiko and Nana beamed with pride; I could only hope Fujiomi would feel the same way, and not laugh in my face. I opened the door- and he froze. He looked me right in the eyes, then scanned me up and down, then back at my face. After a moment, he opned his mouth and said: "Ready to go?"

Sukiko just about fell on the floor, and I swear I heard Nana weeping over Fujiomi’s heartless response to all of her hard work. Fujiomi, though, grabbed my hand and led me downstairs and straight out the door. I noticed within the first forty seconds that the shoes nana and Sukiko had picked out for me were nearly impossible to walk in; they were strappy and awkward, and nothing like the flip flops I usually trekked in. We didn’t say anything on the way to the train station, and I didn’t even know where we were going until Fujiomi bought us two tickets to Shibuya. It was pretty crowded in the train, and it was difficult to stand. It felt like everyone was looking at me- though I noticed quite a few girls looking at Fujiomi.

I took the time to notice what he was wearing: A button-up shirt with a simple jacket over it, and designer jeans and shoes. He had undoubtedly taken almost as much time as me getting dressed and styling his hair. It made me wonder if Japanese guys were really all that different from American guys. The train got more and more crowded, and I was getting SUPER uncomfortable, because Fujiomi was right behind me. The more packed it got, the closer he and I were pressed against each other. At one of the stops, the train halted suddenly, and he wrapped his arms around my shoulders to keep me from "falling on my face like an idiot." I remember smelling his cologne for the first time at that moment- when I turned my head to look at him and my face brushed his sleeve. It smelled….really nice. It didn’t seem to me like it was manufactured, like Axe or Tag, but it was just as inviting.

We got off at our stop in Shibuya, and Fujiomi stopped, took my arm, wrapped it underneath his, and patted my hand- like some kind of escort! And he STILL hadn’t said a two full sentances to me! Finally, I broke down and asked him where we were going. He grinned like an evil magistrate and said, "You’ll see…"

To be continued…

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