Please don't send noodles down a water slide in the theater!

It is SUPER late, so I have to keep this short.
Tonight I went to a Japanese movie theater and saw Pirates of the Caribbean 4.
Okay, first - IT WAS IN ENGLISH. It had subtitles, which was kind of annoying and occasionally I found myself glancing at things I couldn't read, but they didn't really get in the way.
Second - I was the only American in the theater and omg people, apparently the Japanese don't laugh at movies. Or they didn't understand ANY of the jokes. THAT actually really bothered me because guess what? I laughed and I was alone in it. WHATEVER.
Third - movies aren't GA in Japan... you get assigned seats which is outrageous and so stupid. My friend reserved ours ahead of time, so we were lucky and got to sit dead center to the screen. But still, part of the joy of movie-going is waiting for an HOUR in a sold out setting. I dunno, at least during midnight screenings of Star Wars and Harry Potter, it's highly entertaining.
Fourth - All the previews were American movies and all were in English with the exception of Cars 2, which is apparently dubbed. PEOPLE, THEY SHOWED THE FINAL HARRY POTTER TRAILER!!
Fifth - okay, how to behave in a Japanese theater as explained in a happy cartoon complete with LOUD buzzer signaling "NO" before the start of the movie:
- Using a cell phone
- Eating too loudly
- Video taping the movie
- Don't DOWNLOAD the movie at home
- Talking to other people
- Cuddling and other romantic activities (this was classic)
- Sending ramen down a chute of water... seriously, they showed this! I WAS DYING.
 And lastly - Japan keeps their rooms on a stifling hot setting. These people must be cold 24/7 no matter what temperature it is outside. It was without doubt, the most uncomfortable movie I've ever sat through. But, still fun :)

An Almost Japanese McDonalds!

Well Japanese McDonalds was a massive let-down! It's basically the EXACT same thing as America's McDonalds. I mean, even the BAGS are the same! However, this McD's was located in a home improvement store and the sign for it is obviously different than America's:

Because my parents are nuts, I took pictures of what they asked for. Okay, the inside of a burger:

And of course, "take a picture of it after you bite into it" (because you know, it may still be MOOING or something - who knows what they're thinking!):

Happy Meal choices - CORN. EW! WHO WOULD WANT CORN?! I'll take my American apple dippers, thank you!:

People, brace yourselves for the MEGA MAC:

This is so disgusting and yet everyone loves this sandwich over here. Actually, my friend was going to order it for me but you know, I want to LIVE. This is the greatest difference about McDonalds here vs. the USA: there are so many overweight people in the USA that McDonalds is forced to dish out healthy options/meals. But here, you're hard pressed to find a single "fat" person and apparently McDonalds wants to change that!!

A shrimp burger... I'm gonna go throw up:

My teriyaki (non-LETHAL) burger:

Hahahaha awww look at Ronald living it up! The happy meal milk is very Japanese (with an English crossword?!!?) but not so much for my grape Fanta in a very American looking cup:

And of course they have American bags. Really, McDonalds isn't that Japanese. I'm a bit disappointed!!:

Whatever! I HAD FUN and it tastes exactly the same. Except for the teriyaki burger, which doesn't exist back home. Sad face for you guys!!

Nice weather for once!

Hm, nothing new to report today. Shockingly, the weather has been beautiful and warm. It's been sunny for 3 solid days and in the 70's! It's nice when it's like this... every night on my walk home from work, there's a guy out singing and playing guitar. I don't think he's homeless. But I don't even bother to look because no one acknowledges each other on the street anyway. Just blatantly ignoring people makes it easier for me or else they tend to fake me out if they stare at me a bit too long and then I nod, or say 'konnichi wa' and look like a FOOL when they just keep walking by. But the niceness of the weather comes to an end tomorrow. Which figures!

Oh! So TOMORROW get ready for a killer post with pics - I'M GOING TO MCDONALDS.
JAPANESE MCDONALDS.
And I'm being forced to eat a teriyaki big mac.
But I'm buying a happy meal too... cause I want the toy :)

Didn't expect this!

Fun fact: Japan apparently doesn't censor English cuss words. They were showing clips of the NFL on one of the sports channels (whoa! THAT was a pleasant surprise!!) and as much as I love rap music, hearing the 'F' bomb over and over in songs was absolutely hilarious... but a bit strange. Pretty sure America censors cuss words in other languages -- with exception to the movie channels. Anything goes on those things. Always entertaining here in Japan!! XD

Some differences between America and Japan.

Here's some things I've noticed in my nearly first month here in Japan:

-People DRIVE on the sidewalk. Especially taxis... if they're waiting for someone to call for a cab, they just park on the sidewalk. It's super annoying, trying to dodge cars.
-Fiber doesn't exist here. No Fiber One bars... or anything. Not even wheat bread. Never thought I'd miss fiber as much as I do (wow, do I sound 50 or WHAT?!)
-Streets and sidewalks are spotless. I rarely see trash and have yet to see even 1 yen on the ground.
-I adore my children students. Even the JHS groups who tend to be a bit more rowdy. They're just so funny and love to play games and get candy for rewards :) Kind of like my old students back home... and I miss those JHS kids like WHOA.
-On occasion, I burst into laughter. Especially in a store when I see terrible English that makes absolutely no sense. For example, THIS:

-They're a bit too into EXTREME health. I'm watching a commercial right now for "Placenta 100" pills. Barf. And of course there's JESUS BODY! diet pills:

-People tend to bike way too close to walking people. I accidentally hit one person a week ago with my umbrella because they were behind me and literally zoomed past, 6 inches from me. Personally, I enjoyed accidentally smacking them... serves them right, they are just ASKING for it!
-Everything is just SO CUTE. I can't walk into a store without "Awwwwww"-ing outloud, even if I'm ALONE. It's dangerous because at this time, I need to be saving money - not blowing it all on cute little stuffed animals and keychains and general things I'LL NEVER NEED IN LIFE.

Those are my big observations for Japan vs. America right now. I'll be adding more for sure in the near future! ;)

Picture post!

Hello internet on my computer! My, how I have missed you!! Now I'll be posting DAILY, so check back often! Okay! Let's jump right to it:

This is Melissa in front of the most famous cherry blossom castle in Japan... Hirosaki. Doesn't she look GORGEOUS (sarcasm).

Please take a moment and bow your heads in respect for the literally thousands of baby octopus who gave their lives for this picture.

Got mud all over my jeans bending down to take this picture.

Many different kinds of cherry blossoms.

This tree is older than the United States! Know your roots.

My favorite blossom picture.

Near the entrance to Hirosaki Park.

I PROMISED the 6th graders I'd post a picture of Japan's high-tech toilets!! XD

Awww! Engrish at its finest!!

The view from my apartment. Power lines are ALL OVER and it's kind of scary. But the mountains are utsukushii (beautiful)!

So there you have it! My first picture post!! It's rarely sunny for the record, it's typically chilly and always windy. I miss warm weather (like you people back home have been having). I also miss having a CAR. But at least I'll have toned legs!

I LIVE!!!!!

I cannot apologize enough. When I came to Japan I really thought it would have the most advanced internet system on planet earth - but no. They fail so badly that having to wait for Time Warner to call you back in a half hour (because everyone loves to complain) seems like heaven. I still don't have internet on my computer but I got a killer iPhone today that thankfully keeps me connected to the outside world - of which lately I've had no knowledge of. I'm pretty sure I was the last American to find out about Bin Laden. That's how bad I've missed the Internet.

Anyway, Japan is pretty neat, I guess. I survived my first earthquake!! Not really scary - it lasted 15 seconds and i was laying in bed watching tv when I started rocking side to side. First I thought it was a big truck driving by - but no sound came from outside. Then I thought it was a fat person going up the stairs but I didn't hear thundering footsteps. I figured out what it was and thought it was way more cool than scary. I knock on wood religiously anytime I think of an earthquake... just did it! The people below must hate my constant knocks on the floor.

When I get full Internet on my computer I will post pictures and videos. If you want to make my celebrity wall of card fame let me know and I can email you my address. The people I invite over really like to see cards I get from people and I like to look at them when I feel gloomy :)

PS: my iPhone is WHITE!!!!