Sweating and fighting

No Disneyland today. Weather was almost perfect (a bit chilly though). People had got sick or had some other assignments. But 'cause I was already awake early in the morning, decided to do something fun myself. Went to Krav-maga gym to get rid off extra energy. And they really know how to put people sweat in this gym. It was great to be fighting again! Today had to participate on level 3 training 'cause they weren't sure where to put this strange finnish trainee-instructor. 4 is highest level in that gym (they have differen't level system compared to europe...so same stuff just wrapped differently). After one hour sweating I had earned the permisson to participate also level 4 hours. On next Sunday I can sleep 1 hour later. ;)

And of course I headed to lab after got out from the gym and here I'm still. I think that right now my stomach is telling me to head home. Actually I came here just to get my bicycle which somehow was left behind on Friday...And couldn't resist to come in my "office". Now I feel like going to this sento (=artificial onsen) next to our dormitory.

party week

This week I have been really busy with reading articles from my new research topic. End of the week has been filled with parties though. On Thursday was Inga's doctor degree graduation party and on Friday morning had my first REAL hangover. There was someone hammering with huge hammer inside my head. After I had just recovered from this we had a farewell party to Mikko and Markus who are returning to Finland soon. And of course it was Saturday morning before getting to the bed. Last night ended up to a club where all the drinks were free (entrance fee 4000 yen) and the rest you can guess...


Big guy staring all the people passing by.

Oh, and tomorrow we go to the Disneyland if it's not raining. :)

Encounter with police

Hee, just got home from the lab. I was bicycling home when in the mid way of my journey I was stopped by two police men. I think I had to use all my japanese learnt so far when explaining what I'm doing there with the bike. Ok, they didn't speak more than three words of english but luckilly they understood a bit more. ID-card was checked (luckilly I got it today) as also register number of my bike...or should I say Markus' bike. I don't know how that works. But anyway, they were nodding when I explained that I got that bike from another FINNISH who is just about to leave the country. They made a phone call to check it and finally let me go. Wow, they were so nice and polite. Ok, not in that way as the ladies in Mcdonalds counter or in groceries but the way that you still felt that you are dealing now with some authorities.

Ok, time to sleep. Tomorrow is the studying day, lectures from 9.00-16.30.

Nikko

Last Sunday we did a day trip to Nikko, nice mountain area 3-4 hours from Tokyo by car. And finally experienced the famous japanese onsen. Onsen is a hot bath which gets its water from hot spring. It was just like hot baths in Hungary. I loved it...so relaxiting. Oh, and they had also sauna. I had to survive one month without sauna so it was about the time to get in one.


They have pretty good service in gas stations around here. There were three guys cleaning the windows while one was filling the tank.


After 4 hour driving we arrived to the Nikko. Hee, try to guess who was sleeping like a baby most of the time.

Here you have some pictures from the trip.








Didn't got a picture of the monkey I saw but this small fellow was more willing to pose us. Hee, it was really funny to see monkey sitting on a fence in center of Nikko town. :)






This kind of views are always facinating...we lack mountains in Finland.

Mission impossible

...And after 4 hours and 51 minutes, hundreds of traffic lights, thousands of people on foot and many many cars and motorcycles it is accomplished.

"Impossible", I was said when I was planning to get the bicycle from Markus who is soon returning to Finland and wants to give his bike to me. The problem was that the bicycle was in totally other side of Tokyo. You can't take it in to the train...so why not to bicycle it home. Last saturday took train to Odaiba and started bicycling with 2 liters of water and 2 maps, no compass (didn't have time to get one). My plan was to ride the bike home or to some station if it would turn to be impossible to reach home on one day. But giving up isn't really me...

And here you have some pictures from bike adventure through the Tokyo.


Time to head once again to the unknown. Hope that this time I can read the map right...quite big place this to go wrong direction.


There seems to be infinite amount of strange buildings in this city...


Closing to Ginza...


...And the Ginza. These people are going to slow me down a bit...




Peaceful place in center of Tokyo.




Here you see many different kind of motor vehicles... :) With bicycle it was nice to pass all the cars standing in the red lights. ;)






Street roulette?


Sometimes road was quite narrow.


Lots of young people grilling at the river bank.


Hee, the sign.


I did it. Survived before dark.


And here is the whole route from google earth.

Shootboxing

Friday 3rd of November was national holiday, so it was time to do something else than work in the quiet lab. In Asakusa I saw a poster of the shootboxing tournament. What a perfect way to spend free Friday. Ok, I went in to the lab to work for few hours but early afternoon I was heading for Ryogoku arena (famous sumo arena).

Wow, what a show they had in Ryogoku arena! Now I can't wait to get in K1 tournament on next month. Really nice. I was wondering what is this "shootboxing" before, but now I know that it's just kickboxing. Ok, they were doing also throws but still it looked more like a kickboxing. And what you get when you take the wrestling part away from vale tudo (they were calling it "standing vale tudo"). It was middle weight tournament so fights were full of action.


All the fighters at the starting seremony.


In coming shows were wonderful with energetic music.


Trainer and trainee against each other in semifinals (japanese guy next to me was explaining some background about the fighters and earlier tournaments). More experienced trainer was stronger this time. People were really chiering for the younger trainee during the fight.


And the final between dutch and japanese fighters was full of energy. Japane fighter took the title and left dutch crying in his corner. It was his first time to win the title and about the time 'cause he had been fighting for it already 7 years.


Smiling winner.

Phone with the camera, how have I survived without it?!

An ATM, only in japanese, how to survive? Should I ask my tutors to come with me and teach how to withdraw money..? Nope, just take a picture and ask then which button is which in the menu. Clever. ;)