Wanderlust V2 - Japan & Beyond

So I didn't see the charge for my tickets for about 1.5 weeks and started freaking. I had gotten confirmation through email that I had my ticket and everything was charged. Vayama.com usually does everything rather quickly, so I started to sweat it. Well the other day I got an email letting me know that United Airlines was changing the times on my domestic flight with less wait times in between layovers in LAX. Just so you know I have to take an extra leg of the journey from Arizona to California. That adds some money to the ticket, but Vayama.com always does me right when it comes to these things. I kinda hope I get to live in California sometime just for the cheap tickets and deals to Asia haha:) Anyways the actual change didn't cost any extra and they ask if you approved. I approved it and the next day my ticket was charged. HURRAY! It feels real now.

I've also decided to take my small roller bag. It's carry on size. I think I actually fit it on a domestic carrier, which tells ya something. So I rather take that then a backpack. Also I saw New Koyo rooms with people and their bags in them. There's little shelf above the door height and an area under the little table with the tv to fit bags under. Looks alright to me. So I'll take my purse, laptop shoulder bag, and my little roller bag. I will attempt at mailing stuff if I collect too much for my bag. I can chose the cheap option where I'll beat the mail before it gets to my house.

But I'm being lazy on actual planning. These are my must do's so far:
1. Need to see the dress up girls in the park & Rockabillys
2. Find an art/craft/diy store : want to buy felt food directional magazines & look for Kanzashi supplies
3. Flea market at the shrine
4. Ghibli Museum and Ueno Zoo and aquarium
5. Try to look for used Kimono that is cheap at flea market or second hand store ( or pretty Yukata)
6. Eat Okinamiyaki, the kind you grill at your table yourself
7. Go to that huge toy store with the machines you put coins in
8. Look for children's museums with hands on stuff
9. Sing Karaoke at one of the 700yen places ( alone or if I can pick up random stranger, I will)
10. Wander through  random neighborhoods not even known for any kind of tourist value

P.S. Read about no time limit karaoke for 3500yen! If I get someone to go with me, that would be the way to go possibly!! Also I'm working on getting some business cards before I go.

Well here I am trying to blog again about my trip. Will I be successful?? 
It'll be a whirlwind of a trip. I'm going for 7 days to Japan on a shoestring budget. I actually went for the $28 room vs. $13 dorm. I would of gone for dorm style with Smile hostel, but the all female dorm was not available. So I went with New Koyo which has wireless wifi, tiny but private room. I am scaaared and excited. Originally I was going to go visit my aunt for two weeks, but I found out she is going to Korea for a couple of months to visit my other aunts and had not set of time when she would be back. I was tempted to go to Korea too, but I decided on Japan because it's new to me and I've never been. So now I've got to tighten the purse strings and shorten the time.. BUT HECK I'm going to JAPAN!!


I don't care how tiny the room is and I'm used to sleeping on the floor with a futon.***** got back to me right away about my reservations!! So Reservation & tickets set. The waiting will be the hardest part!! Also I have to get my plan of attack of where to go and what to see! Definitely Ghibli museum!!