Kendou, School, and More

I have been in kendou club for the past few weeks. However, I have not been able to wear the traditional clothes and protective gear because I had to focus on swing and footwork. On Tuesday, however, I walked into the gym and Miamoto-sensee (kendo teacher) lent me some kendo stuff. First you have to put on the under-kimono. It's similar to wearing a corset. The pants are way too long and I feel like a 19th century woman gathering my skirts when I walk around. Anyway, enough with the fashion history analogies. Then you have to put on the dou, which is the shield for the torso. Then you have to put on the men, which is mask for the face. I can never get it quite right because the knots for the men are complicated and nobody ever really showed me how to do it, but Megu and Kaoru always help me out when I put on the men.
The first and second time, it took me about an hour to get dressed because they had to find stuff in my size, etc. But Rotary is going to get me a kendo uniform. Hopefully very soon because the one I'm wearing now isn't exactly the right size. The pants are too long, the dou is too small, the men is just whaaaaaaaat.
Kendou is so much fun. It's really interesting and pretty amazing. The only thing is that it's after school, and I'm always so exhausted by then. Ah well, that's life. Yesterday a bunch of people actually complemented me, and I don't think it was just them being polite. Yay!
Tomorrow I was goign to go downtown with some school friends, but then I rememberd that I am going to a shrine tomorrow night with my family. I don't know why we're going to a shrine, because my family is Buddhist, and Buddhists go to a temple. Whatever. They're very ecumenical here in Japan. I'll take pictures. Also, I'm going to try to get pictures of me in my kendou stuff. And of my neighborhood and stuff like that.
Btw, if you're not reading this on facebook, here are the links to my photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=55805&l=d178b&id=674520176 (last weekish)
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=53031&l=107ab&id=674520176 (School fest and Yokohama. Recommended album).
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=49415&l=e8368&id=674520176 (Mount Fuji. Extremely highly recommended).
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=46588&l=2ac85&id=674520176 (just stuff. theres photos of a gorgeous temple garden in here).
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=46292&l=ef30d&id=674520176 (first week in Japan.)