Finally, some success

After copying down my map in even more details, I finally met with some success in my hunt for the シャープ99. The reason I didn't see it before made me feel a bit better: it was actually a Lawsen 100, which looks exactly like any other Lawson shop, which looks a whole lot like a 7-11. Not exactly what I thought I was looking for. Anyway, between that and a department store I found later along the way, I got a pen, a mechanical pencil and a bunch of lead, some sauce for my udon noodles, a big jug of sports drink stuff since it was quite warm out, some TP, and fingernail clippers. I spent about twelve bucks' worth of yen. It's such a random assortment of stuff I really can't tell if it counts as cheap or expensive, comparing it to Albuquerque, but my guess would be more expensive.

After the shopping, I went to the Ritsumeikan campus. It's well-hidden by trees, like many other things, so I rode past it the first time; all I had noticed was a big bus stop that said 立命館大学前, which I incorrectly read as meaning the stop was before the school on the street. After the road straightened out, mismatching what I expected, I turned around and saw a familiar-from-Google-Earth-photos building, and realized the sign actually meant the stop was literally right in front of the school, at the main entrance.

So, I started wandering around campus to check it out, and immediately started wishing I had brought my camera. The campus is beautiful; the pictures I've seen don't do it justice. Unlike UNM, all the buildings look to be in excellent condition. Despite being the oldest college in Japan, everything looks fresh, neat, and new. The campus is about the same size or maybe smaller than the south (non medical/law) portion of UNM, but somehow feels more open--maybe that's just from the contrast with the rest of the parts of the city I've seen. The landscaping is quite nice, too. Having rain probably helps with that.

The first thing I found on campus was the kendo club. I heard them while I was parking my bike. The sound of it is pretty unmistakable, which is odd because I suppose I haven't actually heard it before. After watching them practice for a little bit--crazy footwork!--I explored the rest of the campus. I found the international building where I need to check in for the first orientation next Friday. I found the cafeteria, the libraries, and the general store, then decided it was time to head back home and take a shower. It's not terribly hot out, but it is quite humid, and I'm not used to dealing with that.

Speaking of weather, Typhoon Sinlaku is supposed to hit Wednesday as a tropical storm. That should be amusing.

Anyway, today's foray went much better. It was helped by wearing bike shorts and gloves this time, and things are starting to make a little more sense to me. Now it's time fo a late lunch.