Where was I?

This year has been an odd one; two trips back to Vancouver under less than happy circumstances (one for a funeral for a close relative and another to pay a possibly last visit to another ailing relative) and each visit I stayed the roughly same amount of time, five days.  I arrived on a Thursday each time and flew back to Japan on the following Monday.  When I booked time off for the second trip no one checked if I actually had days off to use.  Turns out I didn't have any paid days off left so they put down as unpaid days off which I'll make up with workdays during the Obon break.

Not having any vacation days off could've been extremely embarrassing if I had requested July 18th off.  I had agreed to purchase a spare ticket a friend had to an X Japan concert on the 17th.  There was no chance the concert would finish prior to 8:38 PM, the departure time of the last Yamagata Shinkansen train from Tokyo station.  So I was going to stay overnight any ways.  As it turns out, I managed to return to town with time to spare prior to my first class.  Though my original work schedule would've seen me trying to catch the very first Yamagata Shinkansen train...something which would've been extremely difficult if I had booked a hotel room in the Shin Yokohama area.  Nonetheless, fate turned in my favour and I was able to get back home in a relaxed manner.