An Afternoon in Hongo

It’s Saturday, and I decide to go to Tokyo University with Yuko to do some hardcore Japanese studying. As we arrive in Hongo, we go to the Mermaid Cafe for some caramel lattes and small snacks before heading out to the library. As you need a card to enter the premises, Yuko does a bit of undercover work by passing me a book over the barrier with her card inside, which I then use to enter. I start by reading the latest editions of THE JAPAN TIMES, THE INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE/ASAHI, and this week’s NEWSWEEK, before heading to the desk where Yuko is already hard at work taking notes and writing things in her iBook. After about an hour and a half or two hours of text book studying, I tire a bit, and decide to continue with this month’s issue of CASA BRUTUS (which I brought along with me). I consider this studying, as I spend more time than usual trying to decipher the text, checking kanji in my electronic dictionary (I can write kanji in it to find out their reading). Makes the learning process much more fun. Before I know it, it’s 7 o’clock, and the closing time music reminds us that we need to exit the library. As we exit the main gates, we spot a tiny Indian restaurant called Darjeeling across the road. We end up going in and having delicious servings of curry and nan bread. We then head back to the station, and come back to Ikebukuro.