I got REALLY lost

Today my brother went to sumo, but I didn't because I was sick and also didn't buy a ticket.  Today was spent recovering and then, um... well, you'll see.



We went back to the Taiwanese ramen place and I had this.  Shopping also happened.  I was feeling good enough to make the walk all around to these things, so I thought that once we got home I'd go for a bike ride.

Here's my bike's basket as I set off.  It's got a melon soda in it, which is, again, the best soda flavor you've probably never tried.  My plan was to try and find this used CD place I saw on the way to ballet, but I got SUPER lost.  Here are some things I saw along the way.

I haven't really seen anything but elementary schools since I got here for some reason, so this middle school seemed worth a picture.

You know it's authentic Italian when there's a Mark Twain reference on the sign.

This is where it started to get bad.  Bad as in, "oh god where am I?".

Look, rice fields!  I've only ever seen those out the train window.

This is just a cactus that was next to a building.  Not even a building that might have a cactus, like a plant nursery or something.  Just a building.

Here's a shrine I found.

And here's a cemetary.

I also stumbled across a temple, and there was this statue.

And this statue.

And these nice flowers that were, for some reason, on the other side of a giant plaque-thing.

So anyway, just to drive home how far I went entirely by accident, at one point I looked up and found myself next to Kashiya Yokochou.  That's the candy street where I bought those potato pieces the other day.  It's three train stops and a bit of a walk away from my house, which turns out to be about five miles.  Not counting the mile or so I rode while trying to find my way back, I did about ten miles on my bike today without meaning to.  I'm pretty okay with that, but I may have mild sunburn.

I also bought X-Japan's Jealousy, and now I only have two of their CDs left to get until I have the whole set (of full albums).  "Desperate Angel" still gives me the willies, though.