As mentioned back in July, while we have enjoyed our Ebisu apartment, it hasn't been perfect. Now, after viewing about 20 apartments (4 Saturdays' worth) we have finally found our next home!

Ebisu Spacia is about 15 minutes north east of our current apartment but remains about a 10 minute walk to Ebisu Station. Tim will shave a few minutes off of his walk to work, as well.

When we came to Tokyo back in 2012 we made a visit to Senso-ji Shrine, the oldest shrine in Tokyo (dating back to 645!). It had been awhile so I wanted to make another trip to Asakusa. It was freezing and not too crowded the last time I was there... This time it was hot, humid, and full of summer tourists. Still a beautiful experience!

"Line" is a texting app that everyone in Asia loves. Now that we're here it's very convenient to have it because when you meet new people it's easy to exchange info and get in touch. It's full of stickers that are super cute and expressive and can take the place of "omg" "what???" and "lol". 

This past Friday Tim had the brilliant idea to invite his coworkers out for a night of drinks and monjyayaki. Nine of us ventured out on a 30-minute subway ride and arrived at Tokyo's famous Tsukishima monjya street. Literally all of the restaurants along this seven-block strip serve the same thing. Monjya.

For my last extracurricular class of August I took a sumi-e painting class. The sensei, Toyokuni Honda, has been painting for forty years! He told us that during his first three years he just ground the ink stick (sumi stick) to create the ink for other painters to use. Wow! This reminds me of "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" where the apprentices simply perfect the art of rice-making for the first several years.

On this rainy Sunday we decided to find something fun to do indoors. Why not an owl cafe? We had been to a cat cafe when we visited Japan back in 2012 but only recently heard about the owl version.

It works much the same way. You go in-person to make an appointment - we got an appointment for 2.5 hours later. This cafe, Owl Forest, was located in Akihabara, which was great because we had a lot to do in the area while we waited.

When you think of Shinjuku you usually think of the east side: the shopping, the red light district, the bars, and clubs. But if you decide to head west it's another world.

Instead of meandering down crooked, winding roads you'll march down straight, grid-like streets. Instead of funky, colorful shops and restaurants, you'll pass somber rows of office buildings. But, the west side is the place to go to find the city's skyscrapers and that means... VIEWS.

When we first arrived, we couldn't help but notice the loud chirping all around our Ebisu apartment. There happens to be several patches of greenery nearby and all of it seems to be occupied with some very happy cicadas. 

Summer in Japan naturally means... FIREWORKS. These firework displays are highly anticipated and highly attended. Supposedly there are grand firework shows every weekend throughout July and August. We, along with five of Tim's co-workers, decided to try our luck with the Setagaya 37th anniversary show in Tamagawafutagobashi Park, along the Tama River.

I attended Coto Academy's calligraphy class this week. It was quiet and focused (unlike most of our lessons which end up being quite rowdy). The teacher showed us how to create a series of strokes; thick, thin, wedged, etc. and then led us through three kanji: festival, cool, and summer. Here are the sample pieces.

Of course Pikachu is a big deal here. Such a big deal that there are a few weeks every year where Pikachu outbreaks occur in Yokohama. It was a super hot day, but we fought through the heat and stayed long enough to get in on the Pikachu action!

My school provides a few extracurricular classes each week for students who are interested in learning about the culture of Japan in addition to the language. Cooking is not high on my list of loves but when I found out that five of my classmates had signed up (and that they were making sushi) I jumped on board!

Two of my classmates, Angela and Kim, wanted to attend Asakusa's Summer Lantern Festival and I was excited to join. This is one of the many festivals that occur in Japan's summer season. So much celebration; we love it!

This particular festival - Toro Nagashi - involves writing a wish on a paper lantern and sending it down the Sumida River. 

Today in class we had our biggest challenge of our 4-week Crash Course... The Tokyo Explorer Tour!

The teacher paired us all up and sent us into the streets 10 minutes apart so we couldn't follow each other. She sent us with a folder containing three missions (and a bonus challenge) to accomplish.

We live a few steps away from a shopping complex called Ebisu Garden Place. It's so convenient and so fun to have this right next door. In addition to having a Mitsukoshi department store (including a full supermarket on the basement level), post office, convenience store, pharmacy, Starbucks, Baskin & Robbins, and  La Table de Joël Robuchon (two Michelin stars!) we get free entertainment. So far I've seen hula shows, violin performances, and outdoor summer movies. 

One of our favorite things to do is go to the movies so we decided to head to the closest eigakan (movie theater) and catch our first flick in Tokyo - "Terminator Genisys". It was pretty good - even for a non-Terminator fanatic, like me. 

If you're craving sushi and want something quick and fun, head to Genki Sushi in Shibuya! There are many conveyor belt sushi places around but what makes this place AMAZING is that it's all totally automated. Watch this.

Step 1: Find a seat and browse your menu.

Every week at school we have at least one "mission". The mission involves getting outside of the classroom, into the streets, and interacting with real Nihonjin. Ack! During Week 1 our first mission was to go upstairs and have a conversation with the office staff. We had to introduce ourselves, explain where we're from and what we do and then ask them questions about themselves. It went ok but I was so focused on what I was saying that I didn't remember anything she told me about herself. My teacher thought that was interesting. :-/

Only two train stops away is a place called Roppongi. It's known for it's ex-pat presence, nightlife, and big shopping center - Roppongi Hills. Tim and I took a stroll through Roppongi Hills on a SUPER hot day. We wilted instantly and couldn't stay long but we still experienced an eye-full during our stay.

Ginza is the high end side of Tokyo, equivalent to Beverly Hills. Two of the best stationary stores have locations there (and I LOVE stationary) so I set off to visit them.

Check out the gorgeous store fronts!