4 months until the japan trip

i write this in anticipation of my trip to japan in march. it will be my second trip outside of the USA. the first trip will be to canada with a manufacturer's rep (vertical systems) to visit the haakon factory. they make custom air handling unit equipment for HVAC applications. they're located in vancouver. this is another highly anticipated trip as we will be going to whistler! *stay tuned on this in january*

my main point in writing this is that my need to improve my nihongo is dire. i have learned quite a bit of the basics from rie. though she seems to get a little frustrated when i keep bugging her about how to say something over and over. (;

i don't know what to expect really. i feel like I need to do so much while i'm there to make the trip worth it. it will be a very takai trip (notice my slow integration of japanese words?). the flight will be a big expense. i even tried applying for another chase credit card hoping my new account would have me eligible for an additional 25,000 united miles. apparently, a japan roundtrip from LA to narita is 60,000 united miles. unfortunately, i was denied since i had been awarded a chase card only some 2 months ago. oh well, you can only be so chang and get away with things.