Pretty Keiko, China, and Fuji-san

I went to an izakaya with my roommate David (photo, left) and his friends last Friday night, where I met Pretty Keiko (photo, center). Thats how she introduced herself because she's 36 but looks like she's in her mid-20s. She told me she has a boyfriend, but when I said 'that sounds nice' she said 'Does it!?!?' She also told me my ass was sexy and I think tried to sit in my lap but was kind of drunk and missed it. Thankfully in Japanese izakaya you're usually sitting on the floor, so she didn't fall too far. Anyway, you see that body language? She digs my shit.

I reserved a seat on a Northwest flight to Shanghai for the 23rd of August. I'm paying 56,600 yen, but I'm unsure whether that's a deal or not. I have to put money down tomorrow so I'm looking around for something cheaper. I need a Chinese visitors Visa (which costs $60 for US citizens) and a reentry permit added to my Japanese Visa. I haven't booked anything in China (hotels, tours, or otherwise) and when I land I'm just going to wander around and figure it out as I go. When I told my Japanese students about my plans they couldn't quite wrap their heads around it.

I was going to climb Mt. Fuji tomorrow night, but Amy from Long Island asked me to wait a week so she could tag along. I do plenty of things here alone, so some company will be a welcome change of pace.