hey all,
Yesterday evening, I tried to reserve a ticket to see Studio Ghibli's museum again (I had tried to do the same thing when Bri came to visit during Christmas, but every time slot was already taken), and for this whole week, every time slot was yet again taken.
Today was taken up with running several errands. I checked the bus times and hotel rates for rooms near Matsumoto, ran over to Kamoshika to see whether they had solar battery chargers for smartphones and to check out their sports watches, then headed to Akihabara to meet up with John. We did some shopping: I looked at watches and picked out a solar battery charger, and John picked up a bunches of souvenirs for his family. Since we were in Akihabara, it wouldn't have been complete without a trip to the local Hub for a drink.
I also picked up some sneakers to use as indoor shoes at my school: my old slippers that I brought from the US were getting stinky, and the lining was falling apart, and I'd worn a hole through the sole of the right one with my big toe.
And I've started to pack up my things: my climbing and camping gear is all packed up, along with my winter clothes that I obviously will not be needing for several months. I might try to do my books tonight as well, but there isn't any real hurry. I have tomorrow, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday as well. I've contacted a "guy and a van" style moving company to get an estimate, but I haven't heard back from them yet. The worst case scenario is that I'd have to move everything basically myself again. A scenario slightly better would be that I could get some help from Michi's dad. The main thing I'm not looking forward to with moving is having to carry the stuff from the guesthouse to the station, which is a good 13 minute walk when lightly loaded. When carrying 40 plus pounds of stuff 5 or 6 times each trip, it becomes a real trek.
I will also be trying to head into the city office to ask about health insurance. I've received the bill for the next 3 or four months, but national health insurance is paid to where you are currently living. Since I'll be moving in about 2 weeks, I want to know if I should pay the health insurance as normal or if I should pay only after receiving new bills from my new address's city office.
Cheers,
