Getting a Cell Phone

Today was a productive day! I got a cell phone!! It was chaos - a bunch of us went together with an American who speaks fluent Japanese. I can't imagine managing without her help! I got a lovely pink model with features I can't even comprehend. At some point we were handed a huge stack of USIM cards and told to flip through them until we found a phone number we liked! They don't text message in Japan, instead they send email by phone. And oddly enough, the unlimited minutes are between 1 am and 9 pm!
After getting cell phones we went to Applied Electronics (kind of like a small Best Buy) where we got internet service. There we didn't have an interpreter so instead we were drawing pictures of houses and our apartment building to communicate. Then the sales person remembered her phone had a translator on it, so she was typing into that in Japanese, translating it and passing it back to us. I love Japanese cell phones! I have to find out if mine has that function! Finally that was all settled, although it will take another week or two for it to be set up. In the meantime, I am sitting on the patio mooching off my neighbors wireless internet. I can't wait to get my own service so that I can use the internet rain or shine.
Speaking of rain - it's rained almost everyday I've been here, except for today. It hasn't been too hot at all, quite comfortable really, except for the humidity. (As we got off the plane in Osaka, I learned a new Japanese word - "atsu" - hot. But really they meant muggy!)
This week has flown by - we've been so busy! There are so many activities happening and people around. Tonight I went to dinner with Merry and we thought we were going to the Italian restaurant we went to the first night we were here. We walked in the door and realized it was the wrong restaurant. We sat down anyway and pulled out the menu - all in Japanese writing, even the prices. Merry was hoping for tempura and I was pointing at what some other people had (noodles in soup) - so I guess they combined it. We got soggy tempura floating on noodle soup!
Tomorrow I plan to take a dry run to my school. It will take me two buses and a 10 minute walk to get there, I think about a 40 minute commute in total. Also tomorrow some friends are going for a bike ride around the castle and someone from the community is coming to teach tai chi in the meeting room downstairs. It will be a busy day.
And then Monday I start working! More then!