Konichiwa!! I'm in Japan!

Konichiwa! I'm in Japan yal! I ain't ever think I'd come here but...this is where I'm at! As soon as my parents got word that Bennie wasn't coming, they knew they were gonna hafta come and get me! So, we boarded our plane on Labor Day for an 11 hour flight! When i arrived at SFO, I wasn't even afraid. I was soo happy to see my Mom & Dad However(comma), traveling with old people can be a challenge. She's always hungry, he's always right! Wow! This should be interesting...As soon as they step off they plane from Philly, I know there's gonna be problems. My Mom calls me panicked cuz they don't see me! Umm?? Hello, I wasn't meeting you @ your terminal, I was meeting you @ our terminal for our departure! I'm near the Gucci & Coach store and she says, well i'm walking down a long hall & we don't see you Boop! Duh!?!? Ain't nothin' but long halls in da airport! So, while they takin' forever, I decide to go to the Hot spot to get on facebook. Buuuuulllshit! Not for free, not at SFO u ain't! I packed up my laptop & went back to waiting for the 'old people' I got my food, they have their food...We need to go to currency exchange cuz they only accept Yen...I am a smarty pants. I only exchange some of my money so, that way when i ran out of Yen, I'd either A) stop shopping or B) ask Daddy! I chose the latter. LOL!!! The flight over was cool. We were on United Flight 885. I didn't feel very secure about being on a United flight, post 9-11. Once we landed, I was elated because, I was now REALLY in Japan! After we got our luggage & came out we saw my brother, Scottie. He looked the same. I mean, it was only a couple of months ago, i saw him, my Mom & Dad. After the flight we still have to take an hour & 1/2 train ride into Kyoto, Japan. WTF?!?! Okay! $35? I ain't got it! Nope! Can't pay it, won't pay it! We get to the train station & then head to our 'apartment' for the week. We settle in, and we want to eat. Eat!? Damn! I forgot I was gon' have to eat over here! Shiiiiiiiiiiit! I know it's the land of the fish & I DON'T like fish! Uuuuuugh! Shit, man! Daddy says, don't worry Sakinah, try it first. Okay okay okay...I will try it but i may not like it! First of all, I don't know what the heyell these people are saying to me...I don't know when to bow & when not to! All I know is, what is we eatin'?! We go to this restaurant (all restauants are tea houses) and we gotta take off our shoes. Take off my shoes????!!!??? Ummm?! Wait!? O..C..D..I caaaaaain't! iLLLL! Touch the floor?? I on't want to!!! My Daddy knows, he grabs me by the arm & pulls gently, "Come on, Boop! It'll be okay? You can take a shower when we get home." Shower, home?!?! Oooooooh shit! Imma miss my island! Where is my husband? Dammit! Okay...Okay...Okay...Now, i took my shoes off but, i don't know about this food? Tea House...Sittin' on the floor...Calamari, Octopus, Squid, Mackerel...What about crab, or lobster, or shrimp!? Nooooope! Now, this is how they eat...It's not like an entree where you get your protein, starch & vegetable. Noooooooope! They shovel out a bunch of plates with different cuisine & give you small portions (Asian portion). The food that also comes out is "sashimi" which is raw fish! Oh hell to the no! I am NOT eating that! So, my brother, his fiancee & my parents are eating the food...I kinda mull over a couple of things and don't really eat much of anything. Then lastly, the rice comes out! Yes, you ain't gettin' that rice wit ur food...it's for after it! They typically eat mostly sushi rice too! Sushi rice aiight but, can i get some neck bones on top of that, please?! Nope! Don't want none of that! My Mom dared to try it tho.Whatever! So, I although I ain't leave the restaurant starvin' (insert stomach touching your back, here) but it was definitely an experience. One night over & i'm happy! We swing b Scottie's apartment & I get on his "Skype" line, u know, the phone wit the Vallejo metro #? Yeayau...No one answers! The one person I knew would be up, Derrick didn't have his bluetooth on...So, i ain't speak to no one in my family! Uuuuuugh! The plan for the next day was to go to the Temples. We get up the next morning & head out to the "Temples." We ain't goin' shopping?! Uuuuugh! This gon' be a long week! My Dad already had certain places mapped out that he wanted to see. The first, the Golden Pavilion. All i can tell u is that this place was beautiful, the Pavilion is real gold (not solid all the way through), the people don't play about keeping it together...In Japan, monks (priests) volunteer at the grounds to keep them clean. It was a bit of walking and i wasn't mad, i was still thrilled that i was in Japan!! There were souvenir stores throughout the place and there was green tea ice cream... We'd been walking in the heat & I was hungry. I was sooo happy that we were going to a McDonald's!!! I have been on the McChicken mini meals so, I already know what I'm orderin'. Language Barrier (LB) she had no clue what I was trying to order. Luckily my new sister in law, and brother were able to order what i wanted. I grabbed my tray and walked up the stairs (yes, there's an upstairs everything) and sat down to eat my food. First of all, the McChicken is called a, "Chicken Filet-O!?!" and the patty is like a triangular shape, definitely different from the shape of ours! Whatev! It hit the spizzoooooooooot! We walked (barefoot) through the 'sacred' Rock Garden went to two more Temples with families that still lived on the grounds as well as some otha people up in a buildin' in a crypt. Why do I see dead people? LOL! They build around sacred places such as, graves. The shopping in Kyoto, is similar to "The Alley" in Los Angeles or, "Canal St" in New York except, it had covered streets. The last place we went to was an electronics store. I needed a jump(a USB to Ethernet adapter) for my laptop to connect. My Mom & Dad had no cell service and I thought Metro would work in Japan so, I was a little disappointed and hadn't spoke to anyone in the states since I'd arrived there almost 2 days ago. As soon as we got home I hooked it up and called home! Well, I iChatted with them. I didn't really know for sure the time of day because I get nervous sometimes when my mind has to process too many things at once. The ichat was connected and I saw all my kids! I was soooo excited and they were too. They all had a thouwow questions for me & we were all talking over eachother from excitement. After they spoke to "MumMum" & "PopPop," Bennie came to the computer and it amazes me how long Bennie and I have been friends because, as soon as we see eachother we talkin' bout sports, my realityTV shows, who's cooking and the kids. When someone knows you, they know exactly what you want to talk about! I was relieved. Soon I grasped the time difference, and was able to see the kids everyday afterschool. I slept in Japan from midnight to 5:30am and around 8am the kids would be home from school, I'd be getting ready for the day. And of course, Nicky. The following day, we went SHOPPING! We go downstairs to the Cafe & decide to have coffee & tea. Listen, when my Dad goes in, he goes ALL in! So Mommy & I order 2 coffees & he a green tea. Our coffees are brought to us on the open patio, while we people watched & talked. My Dad was a bit behind us so, his tea came later. When his tea comes out it is in a cup with a small pot (like the 4 cup coffee pots they have in a hotel room yet, not a suite), with tea leaves, tree bark & marijuana seeds (O, don't ack like u ain't never seent no seeds, LOL) As the avid coffee drinkers that we are, we order 2 more refils and he another. Because I know that between Bennie & Daddy I'm going to have a 'good' time! Before Scottie arrives, I jump to volunteer to pay the bill ;) Haha! Jokes on me! Not fault to the language barrier, that is what she said, "2400 Yen." What?! GTFOH?! $24!! Is it because I drink it for free @ home or what?! Oh well, take it on the chin. We shopped all day and took in the city. From the way that they drive on the right hand side of the car & drive on the left side of the street. I thought I would get in an accident cuz i wasn't ready. The way most restaurants are tea houses, and how you must take off your shoes & sit on an illusion that you're sitting on the floor. They actually have a sunken space under the table so it's appears as though you're sitting on the floor although you really are?! Follow that? You don't see nasty, grimey public trash receptacles. People ride everywhere on their bikes, if you smoke, you carry a portable ashtray for your butts & your ashes ;) as well as the common thread of small dogs. Since no space is wasted in Japan, they typically have a small pooch. I did however, see one big dog. Only one tho'. This place was like nowhere I'd ever been before. With all my resistance, I was secretly admiring this experience. Initially, I thought I'd be able to cover 8 FILLED days in Japan in just two posts. I now realize that it has to be 3 and possibly 4. Stay posted...