IKEA

it is the "obon" holiday season in japan now, and this is the best time of year to be in tokyo because everyone goes back to their homeland to be with their family, and there are so few people here! so i took this opportunity to drive down with my sister to the huge IKEA store that just opened this year in tokyo. this is the first in the country. i wanted to make sure i choose a time where there is fewer people as one of my friends went at the time of the opening, and she says it took 2 hours to just find a place to park and get inside the store. everything went smooth, not too much people, and it was real fun to see all the colorful furnitures and home goods. the price is very reasonable so it was hard to stop my self from buying unnecessary but attractive things such as a glow in the dark space alien statues, cushion with holes to put your feet in to keep warm, and animal bed sheets. one thing that scared me was a gym-like huge warehouse with all kinds of furniture stacked to the ceiling, i couldn't help but think, if the much anticipated tokyo earthquake hits us now, i will die for sure crushed by hundreds of beds, tables, and chairs....i made sure i got out ot there as soon as i can. anyway we ate at a cafe that serves swedish food and enjoyed the whole day. on the way home on the highway, we could see fireworks and driving to the music of the new tortoise cd, a lazarus taxon, made us feel like we could drive right into the sky.