Aspirations

I seem to be getting closer and closer to my career goals everyday.

I mean...I still have a long way to go, but things seem to be slowly falling into place recently. I definitely have been feeling blessed lately. I'm back in Japan working (just as an ALT though), still dating my wonderful boyfriend without much conflict (mostly internal petty things on my part), and things just seem to be going really well. I still struggle financially, because I haven't received my first paycheck yet, but I have lived on low funds in Japan before and can somehow still manage (mostly with the help of my boyfriend buying and giving me things and parents giving me money when they can).

Recently, I have been thinking more about my career path. Since I graduated with an undergrad degree in PR last December, I haven't done much concerning that degree and skill sets I obtained. I've mostly been focused on getting the ALT job confirmed and in place, then actually moving to Japan and settling in. Moving to Japan is just the first step. After my one year contract as an ALT ends I hope to move on to something more of my expertise and passion.

Before coming back to Japan, I became a follower of quite a few J-vloggers and Japanese YouTubers. I then fell in love with the YouTube Japan community. Previously, I never gave much thought about becoming a vlogger or uploading videos on YouTube myself. I thought it would be cool to get a following, but I think everyone has thoughts of wanting to become famous at some point in their life. After watching these people upload their lives in Japan on YouTube and gain a following, I began thinking. What if I try that when I move back to Japan? Because I took some media classes in the last part of my college career, I was given many assignments that I had to produce my own content and upload it online. These classes give me opportunities to see what its like to try and gain a following. I haven't had much success, but during these classes I would keep thinking of what kind of content I could cover when I return to Japan. I've gained all kinds of inspirations from various vloggers and bloggers, but I was never certain of any ideas I though of. It is hard to come up with content that isn't already out there or something interesting enough to gain a following.

Some ideas of themes I want to try for my online presence are:
Fangirl life in Japan (especially as a foreigner)
Being plus sized in Japan
Interesting restaurants and food finds in Japan (already have a blog from a class project set up for this)

I have also been making my presence on Twitter much more active since that is a big outlet in Japan. Recently I've had a lot of success in interacting with my favorite J-vloggers. At first it seemed to be just likes, but now they've been replying to tweets I mention them in. That is a BIG confidence boost. One of my goals is to become friends with them and make connections for my career future. But that is why I had this big revelation for starting up blogging and possibly even vlogging. If I ever meet any of them and become friends, I need to have a good online personality and presence set up with at least some good content to provide. Most of them may have become famous through YouTube, but they have other careers as well. One of them even has a dream job of mine, working as an English vocal coach (not sure of the exact title) with Japanese actors and entertainment people.  While I do hope to be genuine friends with J-vloggers and become part of YouTube Japan community, I don't see myself making a career out of blogging and possible vlogging. My biggest insecurity is that I don't like the sound of my voice or seeing myself on video. I've slowly started overcoming this insecurity with the help of students I teach telling me I have a pretty voice and that I'm cute (also bf recently said that my voice was one of the things he first became attracted to).

I'm still very anxious about everything, but I have some time before I need to have my next career step in place.

Wish me luck~

Best Friend?

Is it ok if I can't pinpoint who my best friend is?

I know I am being overly emotional right now or I could be starting my period soon...but I've just hit a low point today and I need to rant.

All the questions that ask "Who is your best friend?" I have to seriously think about who it is at that moment.
There are two people who I want to call my best friend.

The first is my friend that I've known since 4th grade and we used to be inseparable in high school. She was like my shadow and we had our own little world at times, but recently I don't feel that close to her anymore. It was a slow process with me going away to college and her interests and fandoms diverging from mine. We used to be so in sync and she is who I credit my love for Asian cultures to because she introduced me to some anime and then we both got into Jpop, some Kpop, and dramas. But somewhere along the way she got away from all that. I tried to keep up with her by watching Glee with her over Skype and binge watching episodes I had missed when I would go home. I also fell in love with Starkid because of her and went to the tour stops in Texas with her. But now she's big into American mainstream music, shows and topics and a big LBGTQ activist. I'm not saying I'm against those, but they're not my passions. I'm not saying that we can't be best friends if we don't have the same passions, but I really want to connect better.

The person that I share feelings with and we share fandoms/passions, I have not known for very long. I feel like it took us such a short time to get so close, but I can't be her best friend because I'm late in the game. Her other close friends that have been around longer than me come first in her mind, which is totally understandable. I know it isn't fair to say things like this, but that's how I feel sometimes. I know we're real close, but she's like me and has many friends that she loves and protects. I just want to be first in someone's mind. Two of her other close friends came and got her last night to hang out and I didn't know until she told me earlier. I thought we were all close, but in my mind I can't get on their level because I'm still sorta new to the group. Up until I became friends with them, I never felt like I had a "squad" or"clique" to belong to in college. But even with them I still feel like I don't belong at times.

I guess I just want to have a really strong connection with someone where we are totally in sync with our thoughts and passions.

Not even can my boyfriend be called my best friend. We really don't have all that much in common actually, but it still works I guess. I don't want to try and push my passions onto him, but I want to be able to connect better with him. I see couples all the time saying that they are married to their best friend and I want that.

This is the only time I feel selfish for attention.

My whole life I have just been floating from friend group to friend group. I have made friends everywhere, some very very close friendships, but I don't think I've ever found someone that connects with me completely or where I felt like I completely belong. Most of my Christian friends don't share other passions with me and most of the people I want to be close to that have the same interests don't share my religious beliefs.

This is the only time I hate myself, when I'm selfish for friendship because I wasn't invited somewhere.
But...this will all not matter soon, because my rare moment of depression is soon over and I will go back to my happy and mostly indifferent self with plenty of friends and people that care about me.

What is social?

                A big debate among people of all ages and backgrounds is whether social media is making us more or less social as a society. There really does not seem to be a definite answer as to which side of the argument is more right. More arguments have been made that it makes us less social, but I will play devil’s advocate and say that it helps us be more social.

            Webster’s dictionary describes the adjective “social” as follows:

“ : relating to or involving activities in which people spend time talking to each other or doing    enjoyable things with each other

: liking to be with and talk to people: happy to be with people

: of or relating to people or society in general”

This definition had me thinking. None of those specifically say having one-on-one conversations in person with people. Many will claim that social media, such as Facebook, is an excuse to not physically visit or call friends and family. While, that might be true, that doesn't mean this makes people anti-social. They still make efforts to communicate and maintain relationships with those friends and family. If they were truly not social, they wouldn't be friends on Facebook or talking to people in any way. I personally have family members that do not have any form of social media and I only hear from them when I see them at family gatherings and even then they don’t seem like they want to be there. These are the types of people I consider to be anti-social.

 The part of the definition that helps my argument the most is the last part “of or relating to people or society in general”. These days it is rare when someone does not have a Facebook account, even more rare when they do not own a cellphone. This rarity is because society as a whole is using these social media platforms, then the people that choose to not involve themselves with social networking sites or apps seem like social outcasts to the rest of us. Society evolves more and more over the years. When we are all connecting on the same media, we develop relationships, therefore we are still being social. That is not to say that people without internet or smartphones are not social people, it is just that they are making harder efforts of making conversation and relationships with people than they rest of us that chose the easy and efficient way.

One of the main arguments against social media is that when people are in a room together, they often end up on their smartphones and not talking to each other. What do people usually do when they are on their phones? They are usually being social with other people that are not there with them. Society has become more social, just in different ways. You can still have meaningful conversations and not be right next to the person. As someone currently in a long distance relationship, I have become a big advocate for maintaining relationships not based on physical presence. Of course, it is hard for a relationship to not have reassuring physical aspects, but a relationship should not be based solely on physical interaction. It makes you feel closer when you talk about your fears, dreams and goals with someone who actually cares. On the reverse, you can be sitting next to someone and not say anything but still show that you’re being social by physically being with them. Part of the definition simply says “happy to be with people”. You wouldn't physically stay around someone if you were not happy or at least comfortable to be there. Some of my friends try to make the argument that they are not social because they have trouble with phone conversations and would rather type something out than say it in person. This does not come off as not social to me. If they were not social, they would not care about trying to convey a message to someone or not want to connect at all. These friends are also in a club on campus. Saying that you are not social but becoming part of a club is ironic. A club is the epitome of social, people of similar interests coming together to connect. They may not physically interact and have one-on-one conversations with these club members, but being there and enjoying activities together is social.

Molly Reynolds, a writer for the Huffington Post, made a good point in an article she wrote over this topic. “Reading or hearing about something will never (and SHOULD never) replace really connecting with others through shared experiences. New social media networks are starting to pick up on this trend -- using their platform as a tool to allow people to have real life experiences.”(Reynolds) Some of these new platforms include an app that allows people to connect with people nearby in their area that show similar interests, a social exercise app that allows people to connect with their friends to show weight goals and updates when your friend is working out or has achieved a goal to get you motivated to complete your goal and encourages exercising together. There are many social apps like these that help people connect in real life.

I also believe that without social media, many people would not have friends. It is hard to connect with people in your area when you have nothing in common with the people around you. Social media helps people with similar interests to connect, which usually ends up with them meeting in person. Once people of a certain fandom or lifestyle have found others like them on the internet, the next thing they want to do is meet up. Society is not spiraling into an anti-social abyss of loners that don’t want friends, it is always changing and finding ways of connecting and being social in different ways.

Reference:

  Reynolds, Molly. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/molly-reynolds/is-social-media-actually-_b_4867841.html. 

First SXSW experience (as a volunteer)

For Spring Break I had the wonderful opportunity to attend SXSW as a volunteer for music panels.

I finally got the motivation to apply and follow through with becoming a volunteer. Figured it was time to "be an adult" and make important decisions like being responsible. I attended all pre-meetings and even asked to reschedule a midterm to attend a mandatory pre-conference walk-thru scheduled on the same night. I wanted to recap the volunteer experience as well as the stuff I attended with my music badge perk throughout the week.

Music panels for the music aspect of SXSW began later in the week starting on Wednesday and running through Saturday, all of which music panel volunteers had to work 9am - 6pm.
Before my actual shifts started, that Tuesday I went and dropped off my stuff at a cousin's house that I would be staying with for the duration of SXSW and then went to pick up my volunteer credentials and music badge perk. Most SXSW volunteers worked for a perk or some sort, whether it be just an artist wristband for minimal hours or one of the badges (interactive, music, film, gold and platinum) which all vary on how many shifts or hours you work depending on the crew you work in. Since music panel volunteers all work the same shifts and hours, 60hrs, we were eligible for a badge and only could get platinum if returning volunteer and/or recommended by staff for a platinum badge. I settled for music badge of course, because I was mainly interested in music industry and having priority access to all live music venues.
After getting situated with credentials in the Registration area, I was on my way to find food and I ran into (almost literally) one of the acts I was eager to see later that night. South Korean DJ Hitchhiker. He was clad in his reflective geometric "space suit", which before that moment I did not know actually existed as a wearable suit. I thought that it was strictly a digitized visual for music videos, but no there he was in the suit making his way down the hall to registration. He was accompanied by an entourage of Korean managers/body guards, photographers, and curious on-lookers who probably didn't even know who he was and just wanted an interesting selfie or snapchat. I wanted to let him know right away that I was a fan (granted not a huge one or dedicated one at that moment), but chickened out and just waved and he waved right back at me. I had hoped that he would recognize me later for the showcases, but I'm unsure of the vision capabilities that the suit allowed. Never saw him without the suit as he performed both showcases in the suit. Or maybe I did and just didn't know it was him.

I have decided to make separate posts about the different showcases I went to, so for now I will just expand on the volunteer experience.

A Music Panel volunteer has its pros and cons.
Pros:

•  You are stationed in the convention center on the 4th and 3rd floors away from the hectic SXSW attendees until you have to venture out to find food on your break. 
• When bad weather hits, you don't have to worry too much because you are inside. 
• You are surround by interesting professionals in the music industry as well as a few famous artists. 
• There's a lot of interesting and informational topics on the panels you are helping with.

Cons:

• Since most panels are only open to people with SXSW Music Badges, you don't see that many famous people or variety of SXSW attendees.
• Also because you are inside all day, you are disconnected with things going on in the streets, such as running into celebrities.
• You have to go out of the building to get food that is covered by your food pass on your break and sometimes run out of time because the long lines.  
• You can't interact with famous people while on shift. I wanted to take pics of Snoop Dogg and Arcade Fire, but that's nono.

There were many other aspects about Music Panels that I didn't mention, but those seemed most important. 

Your job as a music panel volunteer basically consisted of meeting in the green room in the morning with everyone else and then going to your assigned panel room for the rest of the day. There was a folder with name placement cards and a list of all the panels in that room for the day and who was on the panel. You met with the panelists and made sure everyone was there before the panel, if someone didn't show up or someone else came as a replacement, you made the necessary changes. You also had to make sure the techs for the room knew if the panelist needed help with the presentation and sound before the panel time.Then one of the volunteers assigned to the room would bring the panelists to the room 5 minutes before it started while other volunteers had been getting things ready in the room and scanning the credentials of the panel attendees. It was all pretty simple stuff.

 My favorite day was being assigned as a green room helper. I sat at the sign in table for panelists and checked off who came in and made sure they got refreshments and that no volunteer touched the refreshments. Also, I made sure that the tables were tidy when panelist came and left things behind. It was while working in the green room that I saw Arcade Fire (and Will from Arcade Fire taking off his shoes and propping up his feet), and The WHO and Blondie's manager. 

I was also able to work the keynote speaker panel, which just so happened to be Snoop Dogg this year. Unfortunately, we didn't get to meet him, but it was still cool being in his presence and hearing him speak. I was on crowd control and made sure people were sitting or standing in the back and not on the sides. I felt a little powerful then, telling people where to go. haha.

If I'm still in the area for SXSW next year, I'll definitely be on the Music Panel crew again.

Motivation.

I've been putting this off way too long.

I was going to write more reviews of Japanese restaurants I visited in Japan...that didn't happen.
I was going to make a post before I came back to the U.S....that didn't work out.
I was going to write about my boyfriend of now a little over a year in Japan and how that happened...nope.

I will get inspiration or an idea of what to write about, but I'd be too tired or busy when I got home this past semester. Writing is hard work. I don't know how all these bloggers do it. Thinking up witty things to tell people who are willing to read and then actually sitting down and writing it out, some even brainstorm and do rough drafts. As I am the epitome of lazy, I don't do that. My biggest flaw is my laziness, I blame it on no motivation. Well it may just be a combination of both.

I think for this post...it will be just me rambling on about my shortcomings and disappointments to myself. Or even my personal thoughts and hopes for the future.

I hope I can get some kind of internship, preferably paid, this coming semester. Just need to get motivated and actively look for one. I just keep getting scared about driving places or actually going out and getting more obligations. I'll be putting a slight tamper on my social life. Many times I frustrated myself because I would let some people down because I would yet again over book myself because all I want to do is please people and be with all my friends every chance I get.
My grades didn't suffer much, but they could have been better. 2 A's and 2 B's. A lot of people were struggling to pass and I was there just being a social butterfly or working.

Although, I have noticed something since I've been back here. Usually, I would jump at the mention of a party or hanging out with friends. Now, it takes me a while to decide if I want to go or not. Also, I would usually want to go out with friends dancing or the like, but now I don't see the point. I still like dancing, but it isn't much fun when you don't try to get all dressed up to be noticed by guys.

 The reason for the change?

I left my heart in Japan and I only want him to look at me and visa-versa.
I'm not saying that I regret getting into a LDR (long distance relationship), it's just hard and has definitely changed me. Every time I go out with my friends, I just wish he were there with me. I wish he were with me every moment of the day, actually.

It has also awoken something in me that wants to start seriously thinking about my future. I wonder if I can get a job in Japan to be with him; there's always teaching English. I still would like to do something with my major of PR in my interests of Asian entertainment. But it is hard trying to figure out how I will get there. Which is also what stops me from actively pursuing internships. I want to be able to find some kind of internship that is in the entertainment business but is connected to Japan or Korea or both. The closest thing I can think of is to volunteer for SXSW, but that seems really limited and competitive. Plus, Austin traffic scares me and having to drive there a couple of days out of a week for something I'm not getting paid for makes me wonder if it is even worth it. Will this experience seriously help me with my career goal. I mean it wouldn't hurt to try.

I guess we'll see if the motivation comes to me try and write a cover letter and apply.

たっくんのメレーちゃん　(Takkun's Melay-chan) his name for me and mine for him.

テゴマスの青春～My Biggest Dream Come True!~

Debut (top) to now (bottom) as I've seen them

Welp.
My dream came true today. I finally got to see Tegomassu in person, while being on first row in front of stage. My favorite singer EVER knows my existence and waved AT ME twice and I'm pretty sure he read my sign and gave me a thumbs up during the first song when he looked my way. I was so close it was unreal. I legit cried when I first saw them and heard their voices when the side curtains dropped and only the few of us on the side could see them. I cried throughout the whole first song. Leading up to the concert in the day I became tired and very very hungry and couldn't get excited and for pretty much all of the concert I had a massive headache, but that didn't matter when I saw them, it finally hit me and I became excited all at once I got overwhelmed became nauseous and started crying.

Seriously never thought I would have the opportunity to go to their concert. I had dreamed about it for 8+ years saying "If I ever do make it to Japan, I have to find myself at a Johnny's concert and hopefully NewS" Well, look at me now. I went and saw my favorite duo in the world and from the front row at that! I still can't believe this. I kept telling my friend that in Japanese as soon as the lights went out and the reality set in. As mentioned in the first paragraph, we had been waiting in line for about 3 hours for goods (which I couldn't buy anyway because I'm poor) and even though I had eaten lunch, I slowly got hungrier and hungrier, but because I'm extremely broke I couldn't buy food. When we first got in line, the sun was out and there wasn't a cloud in sight, so it was really bright and hot. Then once we made it to a different side of the building the sun was out of view and the wind got stronger and it became really cold. By the time we made it inside the lobby of the arena, I was so tired and was developing a massive headache. Its a good thing my friend bought me an onigiri, because I probably could have passed out for the first time in my life. I didn't even have water to take headache medicine with. Also, the mass of people was overwhelming as well. So leading up to the concert, I couldn't get hyped up, it also hadn't really set in yet.

This concert was way more important to me than seeing any Kpop band ever. Here's a little backstory for you. In like the 7th grade my best friend and I became really big fans of Jpop, especially Johnny's Entertainment artists. I can't remember details, of course, about how we found them or why we chose NEWS as our favorite band, but these things just happen. As soon as I had learned their names and personalities, my focus was immediately on Masuda Takahisa (Massu). I think it was around the time that we became fans of NEWS that Tegomassu (the subgroup consisting of members Tegoshi Yuya and Masuda Takahisa) debuted. I fell in love with them ever so much more. Their voices match perfectly and they have one of the best harmonies I've ever heard. Massu's voice is so unique, there's really nothing like it, and what really gets me is his smile and eye-smile. Tegoshi's voice is amazing as well, also his vocal range is high.

Even as we went to our seats and stood there in shock about the position of where we were and how close we were didn't get me super excited. It wasn't until the lights went out and the side curtain dropped and I saw them in the dim lights before the main screen in front of them fell singing the into to the first song that it hit me. This duo that I've loved so much and had only seen on a computer screen (not so often because Johnny's strict copyrights and being almost completely shut off from the rest of the world) from the other side of the world are now in front of me in the same room. I didn't just tear-up, I went into full blown tears rolling down the cheeks can't see crying. I had cried a bit when I saw TVXQ in Las Vegas two years ago, but not like this. I wasn't this close to TVXQ as I was to Tegomassu.

Side stage they where Massu waved
and made direct eye-contact. (Angle from sitting) 

The concert was like none I'd ever been to before. It was so chill. Fans don't scream, because Tegomassu is a ballad group and they focus on showcasing their voices, therefore fans want to listen well. For the upbeat songs we all stood up of course and waved lights sticks to the beats and jumped up on certain beats when they did and things like that. Or on the songs that they would leave center stage and go to the sides, we would yell at the member who wasn't currently singing so they would look our way. Which for one song Massu had finally come to our side and he wasn't singing for a bit and my friends and I yelled his name and he looked at each of our faces and waved. The part that I did not realize they would do is for 3 songs we all sat with the penlights off and absolutely no talking. The first song they sang while like this was completely without mics and were accompanied only by a non-amplified acoustic guitar and a melodica (keyboard that you blow into thingy). It was so mind blowing how quiet it was and we could hear their natural voices. I wonder if the very back could hear well. Good thing I was in the front because it was absolutely perfect. It was a wonder that I didn't cry during that. I just closed my eyes and felt like it was just me in a room with them singing to me. Magical. The next song they scooted their chairs back a bit and were surrounded by candle
sticks of different heights which were actually all electric. Tegoshi lights a real candle in front of him and Massu before sitting down and the candles all around them flicker on. This ballad they sang with the actual band playing behind them again, but they still sat and sang softly and at the end Massu blows out the
candle and the rest turn off. Another magical song.

Then for two songs and two different times they went backstage and were then wheeled out into the crowds on moving platform things. The first time they were sitting in bowls with huge chopsticks while singing their debut song Miso Soup. The second time they came out sitting in the pocket? of the character that Massu drew to be the mascot for this concert tour which I am thinking is a kangaroo? Lol it is the closest animal I can come up with. Each time they were wheeled to the back of the arena and stood on a stage that came down from the ceiling. Unfortunately, they sang my favorite song (Kiss~Kaerimichi no Love Song) from that stage at the back. During that song though, they stopped singing and made us sing. I'm glad it was that song, because I know it by heart. It is actually one of the first Japanese songs I ever learned all the words to. The second time Massu waved at me directly was when he was coming back from the back of the arena on the character he made. They weren't singing then and were trying to focus on as many fans as they could. Well, with are super awesome luck, I happen to be right next to the path that they enter and exit on. Massu looked straight down at me, smiled his heart-melting smile and waved directly at me. I felt like I could just reach up and high-five him.
Despite having a massive headache throughout the concert and becoming nauseous at times, this is probably one of the best days ever and I'll never forget. I just wish that I could've had money to buy goods for keepsake and food to keep me from becoming insanely hungry.

"Fan from Texas"

Because of my fan-made personalized sign, I got noticed by Massu straight away with a double thumbs up and then cameramen filmed me during the concert at times. Afterward, one came up to me and asked about my sign and then asked me and my friends if he could film us for the DVD. HOLY CRAP! I am possibly going to be on a Tegomassu concert DVD. I really hope I played my gaijin card well and will get put on the DVD! I tried my best to use Japanese with him, but because I suck AND my concentration level was at 5% because of physical condition and concert overwhelmedness, I'm pretty sure my broken Japanese was worse than I thought it was. Oh well.

So after arriving home, I was so overcome with many feels and emotions I was just numb. I quickly drank so water and took a migraine pill to calm down. I could barely speak to people. I was to the point where I was so hungry I was nauseous and so tired. I knew I couldn't just go to bed without eating something. I waited around for a bit and then tried stomaching some leftover rice with nori and okonomiyaki sauce cause that's all I had, but I couldn't really eat. After the pill started kicking in, my friend gave me some fruit and I immediately felt better. Now, I'm at the point where I'm wide awake and wasting sleep time writing this long post. It's a good thing I wrote this now because otherwise I'd procrastinate like always and forget all my feels and have trouble recalling things.

Well...guess that's it for now.

I'll try this thing called sleep.


~Love,

The Happiest Girl In The World Despite Being Poorer Than Dirt

Haru&Haru Review

This small cafe would go unnoticed unless you know about it. It is a french toast cafe run by a cute, fairly young Japanese couple and a few other workers. The location is right next to a railroad crossing and across from a Family Mart near Midorigaoka station in the Meguro ward of Tokyo. My friend from France wanted to try it out since we pass it every day on our walk from the station to our dorm. I had paid not much attention to it previously except for it's interesting exterior decor and the name which reminded me of a Korean boy-band (Big Bang) song.  She also wanted to see how Japanese take on french toast, and being French she says that there are not restaurants for french toast in France because that is something you make at home with your baguettes that have gone stale.
The food there is exceptional, but a bit on the pricey side. They serve gourmet french toast of sorts. Generally, you can order a french toast plate with a variety of toppings ranging from the seasonal fruits to regular menu choices like chocolate and banana or roasted almond for example.

Mango French Toast With Iced Coffee

The french toast plates come with two slices of authentic french baguette and the topping (most have a scoop of vanilla ice cream as well) and along with your meal you can have coffee hot or iced or tea hot or iced. I was not sure what to expect when I went there for the first time, but I was thoroughly impressed by the plate presentation and the overall taste over the food. It definitely had my French friend's approval because we decided to come back many more times.

On our second visit (I think), I brought my friend back on her birthday. I told them that it was her birthday and they wrote her a special message on her plate that she ordered. Also, because my friend doesn't like chocolate they allowed her to change the one she wanted to a caramel topping instead of chocolate. While there for her birthday, the couple's son was brought into the shop and the mom brought him over to talk to us. She tried to get him to tell my friend happy birthday, but since he's a little over a year old he got confused and thought it was his birthday and acted all shy after that.

To say that the service is great and the staff are friendly is an understatement. There have been very few restaurants that take the time to learn and remember people's names and genuinely care about how someone is doing. They know me and a few of my fellow exchange students by name. My favorite thing is when we pass by and they see us, they make an effort to wave at us or even come out of the shop to say "Welcome Home" because they know that we live close to there. I enjoy leaving out for the day in the morning and they tell us "Good Morning" and coming back from a long day to be greeted by them if they are not to busy with customers. One time my friend and I were low on money but we had not been in a while and wanted to go in and see them again, so we just went for coffee. It was near closing time and my friend and I were pretty much the only customers there. We had a nice long talk with the workers and she even showed us a video of her son eating cake for the first time on his dad's birthday. Since we had not ordered any food, they gave us free french toast while we were there talking. That was so unexpected. Since then, there have been other times that my friends and I have been given things for free.

Complimentary French Toast With
Cappuccino 

New Years Greeting Card 

"Sweet Shanghai" Hot Herbal Tea

Recently, I was asked to help make an English menu. Their menus are hand written and are all in Japanese. The owner and one I mostly talk to expressed to me that foreigners come there all the time and ask if they have English menus. My friend and I tried our best to translate things as best we could, but my Japanese skills are not that great. She ended up translating most of it with her phone and asked us if it made sense. As compensation for helping, they let us taste the topping that is currently in season as well as some complimentary herbal tea.

Hamburg Plate (Fried Egg on a
Hamburger Patty)

Strawberry And "Sakura-An"
(cherry-paste)

Haru&Haru Quiche Set

 Every time I go, I order something different and each time I have been completely satisfied with the taste. I am excited to try other items on the menu and decide on a favorite. If you are ever in the area, I do highly recommend my favorite little French themed cafe that makes you feel at home.
http://haruandharu.com/