A Very productive day 1

I seem to have successfully combated jet-lag, as I woke up on Friday at about 7 AM. With a lovely complimentary breakfast buffet (washoku TO western fare), I set off to do things.

First stop was the offices of Sakura house, the apartment rental agency I have reserved my apartment at (for 1 temporary month, anyway). A 15 minute walk north through Shinjuku, I was happily surprised that I basically remembered everything and the map from when I visited Japan in the winter.


The paperwork finished, and the rent paid and key in hand, I was now the proud tenant of Sangenjaya Casa Aregule B #205. But it was only 10 AM? What to do now?

I went back to the hotel, looked up a bunch of things and decided to go see the new Rebuild of Evangelion movie since I found it was playing at the sunshine theaters in Ikebukuro I bought the ticket online (hehe) for 4:40 PM. Then, I decided to run down to Setagaya's city hall and register myself as an alien. Getting there was not that easy; JR Yamanote line to Shibuya station, then transfer to the subway/tokyu dentsu no ou line to Sangenjaya (the stop nearest my new apartment), transfer AGAIN to a trolley called the "Setagaya line", which was really cute and, I hear, one of the last remaining trolley lines in Tokyo. It's pretty fun when the train needs to stop for traffic crossings.
Then, another 15 minute walk to the municipal building #3, floor 2, and me got me papers in order. The lady at the counter was quite shocked when I said I was researching physics, and complained that physics made her head hurt. Sheesh, that's the same reaction I got while in America anytime I tell anyone what I do. Thankfully, as I figured, there was a photo booth that made passport photos in one of the train stations so I got that done on the way.

By that time, it was already 2 PM, so I headed back to the hotel first to drop off all the paperwork I had aquired (a packet about living in Setagaya-ku, my certificate of alien registration, a map of tokyo I bought at a Tsutaya on the way, etc.)
By the way, Setagaya was a lovely little neighborhood:



Akio had called me on my cell phone earlier, and I arranged with him to get another call later that night.
By the time I made it back to my hotel room, I was pretty tired and I took a break before heading out to the movie.
As usual, I underestimated the time it would take to get to Ikebukuro theater's from the hotel (I only left 30 minutes, and indeed it took 30 minutes). I managed to get to the movie theater only 5 minutes early.
The best part of the movies was when they showed a preview for the Yes! Pretty Cure 5 movie. The theater (filled with otaku, and a few on otaku-ish dates) laughed at it.