Hi! so my doctor sent in my medication (hydrocodone) about an hour ago. I have been going to a mom and pop pharmacy the past 2 times because I left CVS.
Anyways, when I called them to ask around what time I should pick up my medications the pharmacist said that they “still have to run it through the federal website to make sure it’s okay to fill”. And that they would call me back in a couple hours.
I’m just wondering if that’s something they always do or if there’s going to be an issue. I’ve been having meds filled for a year and have never heard of that.

Hi everyone! I'm a new grad who is signing on with Walmart soon once I pass my MPJE. The DM has offered 48 hours once licensed, but when I asked for full time hours because to me 48 hours is per pay period not per week, they state that 48 hours if full time and when I try to clarify is this 48 hours per pay period (so 2 weeks) or 48 hours per week they just keep responding with the position is full time and I can always pick up additional hours. This is my question. What is full time hours for a floater pharmacist at Walmart? I tried to ask the DM this same question and they never outright answered with a number of hours. I know for CVS and Walgreens full time is 60 hours per pay period. I also know that pharmacist hours have been cut in my area because of how many Walmart stores have been closed in just the past 3 months and we've absorbed those closed stores pharmacists and techs into our district so could this be impacting what full time is considered by the company? Thank you for any clarification from a confused new grad who doesn't want to be taken advantage of at a new retail pharmacy (rip my intern years at the three letter giant).

i have an offer for a pharmacy tech at a cvs in massachusetts. Can you be a tech if you smoke weed? i took some edibles before i applied for the job it’s been about 2 weeks since i took them and they’re saying i have to get drug tested sometime this week, will this be a problem?

Thank you for all the lovely cards, and making my day very happy!
U/todayisfab U/sebisrude U/KeenEvergreen U/PinkPengin
Thanks so much for the Arizona postcard featuring the Saguaro National Park. I envy you getting to meet up, I know it was a great afternoon that you will long remember.
U/figs1997 - Thank you for the beautiful Long Island Historical Map card. I love it, and it should be in a frame.
U/Jaimekj - Thank you for the lovely postcard from Turkey. I enjoyed hearing about your planters, I hope they all grow quickly and produce well into the summer.
U/melhen16 - Many thanks for the cheery Hello Summer card. I’m ready for summer, are you?

Resume is 2 pages long. I also have NO CLUE how to make “customer service specialist” aka my job title seem more professional/ more qualified/not basic. My experience is kind of all over the place. I am aware that I need to switch the order in which I became a sales rep then a supervisor. It was late when I made this resume. Thanks a bunch!

This forum has given me so much good advice, thought I would return the favour if you’re ever in Japan with a small human.
Stroller and getting around
We hired a stroller from a nice lady (cash only) and it was a lifesaver in that it was extremely foldable so we could get it into restaurants and up and down stairs if we needed to. Generally speaking, the metro in Tokyo is accessible and there are lifts everywhere — just follow the signs. (If you use Google maps, it won’t tell you where the accessible exits are - only the nearest exits). However the JR isn’t accessible at all and lifts are almost non existent. A foldable pram works well in a taxi if the walking gets too much. We took buses in Kyoto with the pram and it was not my favourite as the buses get really crowded and you have to try and “sumimasen” your way to the front to pay the fare (don’t sit in the back of the bus.)
Food
In Tokyo, everything opens at 11am. So we relied fairly heavily on the local 7/11 for breakfast and snacks. We did do a few restaurants that had lines and had to rely on electronic distraction (ie Octonauts on the iPad with headphones) to keep the small human occupied. Every restaurant will give you wipes so I stashed a lot of these in my bag for future use, you will need them. Not every restaurant will give the kid a fork (or think to give the kid a fork) so there was a few times when I used a plastic one stored from my bag. There really weren’t any high chairs (not that we needed one anyway but it occurred to me that we never got an offer) so either he had his own seat or was propped on my lap if it was a tight restaurant.
Rubbish
Take a stash of garbage bags with you, there are no bins anywhere. You’ll need them for stashing snack wrappers, empty bottles, whatever refuse your toddler dreams up.
Luggage forwarding
I had visions in my head of never having to move luggage the entire time. But it turns out that we were in an apartment/hotel/rental in Osaka that didn’t accept forwarding so that popped a hole in that dream. Check with your hotel!
Tokyo
Pokémon Centre
The kid loves Pokémon but I didn’t like my chances of booking a space in the cafe (there was no space). We went anyway and worked our away around the massive gift store which he was just as happy with. Came out with a whole bunch of Pokémon merch as the centre intended. It is hilariously noted that the same merch was cheaper in Yobodashi. Oh, and the kid lost the Eevee figurine several times (showed up in the pram cover and then lost forever in the streets of Harajuku) so if your kid is particularly attached to small pieces, I would consider getting duplicates (after Harajuku, we got Eevee triplicates)
Disney Sea
I guess the only thing I can say is: don't go when it's raining? (We had booked on Klook in advance and were locked in.) Everybody else had the same idea and the park was pretty empty. I think it might have been nice on a sunny day. All the stalls were closed, lots of rides were not possible or at least looked incredibly uncomfortable - the people on the Gondola looked pretty miserable. We mostly did the mermaid lagoon section which was targeted towards young kids and luckily undercover (not much wait times either) but all in all it was probably the shortest Disney trip I've ever done and we were out by 2pm.
As an observation, I thought it was interesting there was not much in the way of modern merch? No Frozen at all, no Encanto, no Moana etc etc you get the drift. Not a complaint, just interesting. Lots of headbands though.
Kiddyland
Giant toy store with six different levels. We amazingly didn’t buy anything there but you might want to hold onto your wallet. I think we were an anomaly.
TeamLabs
Booked Teamlabs pretty early on and so we had reserved tickets for the opening 10am session. It was pretty fun and definitely interesting. He wasn’t too thrilled with some of the darker rooms but worked his way through it. Wear shorts as there are some rooms where the water reached his thighs. If dark rooms and wet rooms are not your kids thing, the staff offer kid-friendly detours.
Osaka
Osaka Castle
Spent a full day in the parks around Osaka Castle. Lots of park to run around and rocks to climb. With the castle, noting that the castle exterior is stunning however the interior is not for kids. It’s a museum for history buffs (so all me.) lots of reading and some photos and he bored of it really quickly. We ended up having to speed run down the floors. So not worth it with kids basically, he was much happier outside doing his thing. We also did the boat ride and it was eh.
Osaka Aquarium
We had high expectations that it would be as good as Monterey. It was really fantastic and had an awesome time but it’s a whole day excursion. All the kids had play passports that you can get at the front to stamp what animals you’ve seen. The kid was “fished out” by the last half an hour, he wanted to look at something other than fish and was (slightly) relieved to get out.
Nara
The kid loved the deer, and for the most part they were pretty gentle with him. They 100% were not so gentle on my husband and he got chased around. The temple was pretty amazing but the kid did not care so much about that and just wanted to go back and hang with the deer some more.
Kyoto
Umekoji Park
Took the small human to Umekoji Park and it was lovely with a creek that he could wade in (the Japanese kids brought toys and nets to scoop tadpoles) and a playground he could play in. Lots of greenery he could run around in. It wasn’t remarkable for me but he loved it so if you need green that doesn’t involve temples, it’s a good kid-friendly choice.
Arashima Bamboo and Monkey Park
We got up extra early to beat the crowds. The small human enjoyed the Bamboo Park and picking up sticks, it wasn’t too intensive for him as it was pretty pram-friendly. It turned into a thirty degree day as we headed to the Monkey Park. It’s a really steep incline 450m up so we didn’t bother to take the pram (although we saw some parents who did), he did really well and walked all the way up but I can understand that there are lots of kids who would not be thrilled with the idea. All the way up the top is a playground area so he glommed onto the playground and not so much the monkeys (ask me how thrilled I was that we walked that distance in steaming hot weather for him to be distracted by a shoddy seesaw)
I dragged him to see the monkeys and we kept a safe distance of 2 metres, but his heart wasn’t in it anymore.
Where we stayed
Mimaru Akasaka - Tokyo
Bon Condominium Umeda - Osaka
The Blossom - Kyoto
We did our best to stay in places that were 40sqm and family friendly. We knew that it would be pretty stressful to stay somewhere where we would be tripping over each other. As a result, our hotels required a little bit more in travel time (extra five to ten minutes?).
Our hotels were pretty great overall. Just a note though - Bon Condominium needed to turn on a boiler before we could get hot water for a shower. If you’re at The Blossom, make sure you check out the basement floor for free snacks.
Random bits and pieces
Random busty ladies
I have been to Japan a few times before (but never with a kid) and in those previous times, I have very distinct memories of lots of random not-quite-clothed manga statuettes everywhere I went. So I was all prepared to talk to the small human about what they were doing and why they were semi-dressed. But in my two weeks, I never saw a single one so my prepared speech never happened. I have no idea where they all went. Maybe they all migrated to Akhibara?
Loxonin
It’s random but you can buy this rub at any pharmacy and it saved my legs considerably on days when I walked 20kms.
Electronic distraction
I’m that parent. When the lines or the public transport ride was too long, I popped some headphones on and gave him an iPad. It saved my stress levels and from him getting completely rowdy. I think particularly the restauranteurs appreciated for the most part a silent child.
Most people speak English. They really appreciate it when you try to speak to them in Japanese though.
Masks
Mask usage has dropped considerably, even on public transport.
Kids clothes
Was all set to buy the kid a new wardrobe annnnd there’s not that many obvious places to buy kids clothes other than H&M and Uniqlo. Sometimes not even Uniqlo - the Roppongi store has no kids section as a case in point. H&M overall had the better selection.
Bathrooms
Bathrooms are everywhere and they’re all extremely clean. We never really worried about finding one. We just made him go every three hours or so to avoid any potential issues or leaks. We only had one real emergency where I had to run him through a department store but got there in time and crisis was averted.
Happy to answer any questions or help where I can!

If a business was deemed to be an essential business (specifically, an essential retailer) in 2020, does the distinction between essential and non-essential really matter for purposes of claiming the credit for a 2021 quarter?
For example, a pharmacy like CVS was essential because it provides medical prescriptions and services. However, it also sells magazines, holiday cards, candy and other goods unrelated to medical needs. By 2021, would a business like CVS be treated differently from candy, greeting cards, and liquor retailers, or are they stuck with the “essential” label? I know it ultimately depends on state guidance, but it seems like most states stopped utilizing the “essential” and “non-essential” designations at some point in 2020.
Just wondering if anybody has any thoughts on the subject!

I'm trying to fill my daughter's prescription for 10 mg XR. Because of the national shortage, our local CVS cannot fill her prescription, nor can any other CVS I've tried. As a result, she ran out a week ago. I need to fill her current prescription, but I also need to find a pharmacy that can fill her refills more reliably than CVS can. I'd be very grateful for any recommendations.

The first instance occurred during my training at a separate store a year ago. I had accidentally dropped some capsules or tablets of a medication I was counting, and I immediately asked what I should do. The technician training me shrugged and told me to just pick it up (bare hands) and put it back in the bottle. Now, even as a new technician at that point in time, I thought this was strange and unsanitary.
A few weeks later, after returning to my pharmacy, I dropped more tablets. I asked the pharmacy manager what I should do. He told me to pick it back up and put it in the bottle. Another instance is I've seen him and other technicians repeatedly count with their bare hands when using the automatic counter (the machine that counts by the weight of the medication).
A few months go by. One day when I am working the water stops working. There was a pipe that had burst down the street. According to my state's law, a pharmacy must have running hot and cold water, and I brought this up to my boss who was also working. He asked the district pharmacy manager what to do, and she said to stay open anyway. My boss is another story for later.
The counting trays are not cleaned between each medication, which some technicians may recognize as important due to certain allergies like sulfa. They are not even cleaned periodically throughout the day. They do not clean between countings of medications such as Warfarin, which some may know is considered hazardous to those not taking it and is disposed of in hazardous waste. I try my best to clean the trays (when I could even find alcohol wipes to begin with).
At this pharmacy, one day, a person (who I will call John) abruptly leaned over the pharmacy counter and grabbed my hand with both of his hands and held tight. On a later date, John had come up to the register twice in a thirty-minute time period, making inappropriate comments. Then, he waited for me outside and watched me walk to my car and whistled a song at me.
Another individual (who I will call Daniel) had trouble with the general store manager (who I will call Sophia). Daniel comes into the store quite often looking for Sophia. He looks up and down the aisles. Whenever he comes in and Sophia is there, she runs to the office and watches him on the camera. Daniel had once sent her numerous love letters, leaving his phone number and such, to which Sophia's boyfriend had called and threatened to call the police. One day, Daniel appeared at the pharmacy register looking to ring a store item out. He had asked me very out-of-pocket, personal questions, to which I had lied knowing who he was as a person. At the end of the conversation, Daniel said, "You know, it's funny how people can't tell the truth anymore. There are really creepy guys out there haha."
Just last week, I was working behind the counter and counting a medication. One of the shift managers comes up to me to inform me there had been a kidnapping in the parking lot and that the other shift manager is calling the police. I don't know all of the details of this except that the person had screamed for help and such as they were dragged into a vehicle which sped off.
(Note: there are no official cameras in the parking lot)
Retail pharmacy is tough. Customers do not like "no" for an answer. Certain medications can be very important, but as a technician, there is only so much I could do in the grand scheme of Big Pharma.

I'm trying to fill my daughter's prescription for 10 mg XR. Because of the national shortage, our local CVS cannot fill her prescription, nor can any other CVS I've tried. As a result, she ran out a week ago. I need to fill her current prescription, but I also need to find a pharmacy that can fill her refills more reliably than CVS can. I'd be very grateful for any recommendations.

This is the most soul sucking, mind numbing, patience draining job I have ever had. Tomorrow is my last day because I can not do this anymore. I worked both Front Store and pharmacy and I hate it. Customers have zero respect and most are brainless and some coworkers are even worse. Good riddance to this awful part of my life. Fuck you CVS.

• Mystery sender – thank you for the abstract Eric Carle bird art postcard, your name is obscured by the barcode :( If you sent this, please let me know! I think I have an idea based on your handwriting. The stamp bird stickers are amazing, and so is the red dragon forever stamp. My son and I did have a great time, we always do :) Happy Spring and thank you for thinking of us!
  
• Mystery sender – thank you for the lavender and pink celestial oil painting style postcard! Unfortunately, it reached me fully torn in half, and I didn’t get your name. You wrote in purple pen about the time someone woke up early to cook breakfast for you while you slept in. If this was you, please let me know. <3
  
• u/bridgetti – thank you for the adorable abstract “hello there” notecard and the matching thank you stickers! <3 I adore the little drawing of a bird perched on a teacup that you did inside. He’s saying “waiter! Some seeds, please!” lol too cute!
  
• u/isimpisi – thank you for the beautiful “to plant a flower is to believe in tomorrow” postcard! I actually adore that Audrey Hepburn quote, I used it as a sentiment when I participated in the floral RAoC meta challenge a couple months ago. I really love the sticker collage you did on the back with the vaporwave grid washi tape and the sparkly bear witch stickers, WAY too cute!
  
• u/PinkPengin x2:
  
• thank you for the handmade kindness card from the best offer of all time!! I’m still in awe of how great that offer was. You’re a queen of kindness :P I love the ideas for random acts of kindness that you included, especially the one about paying random compliments because that’s my go-to when I’m trying to be extra kind. Thanks so much for such a great piece of happy mail! Also, I LOVE that Tomie DiPaola stamp!
  
• (with u/todayisfab, u/KeenEvergreen, u/sebisrude) Thank you for the Arizona postcard from the RAoC Arizona meetup! I love the washi and stickers, and hope you guys had an amazing time! PS- cool stamps too!
  
• u/Monetmonkey – thank you for the tea tasting card with cats and a cup of tea! I’ll be sure to write back after trying your Earl grey! The Cream of Earl Grey from David’s Tea sounds amazing, I’ll most definitely have to try that one sometime soon. I wasn’t sure how a creamy dessert vibe would go with bergamot so I’m pleased to hear it was so good! Also, I really love the pink bunny washi tape you used on the envelope, it’s amazing!
  
• u/DianaPenPal – thank you for the absolutely adorable bird thank you card, I can’t get over how cute it is!! Thank you also for the extra postcard and the stickers, they will go to good use. I appreciated your “holiday at the cabin” theme for washi tape and sticker decoration lol. I appreciate you and always love hearing from you.
  
• u/ninajyang – thank you for the Lou Paper Louisiana card! I just love the art style on these postcards, I only have a few in my collection and most of them came from you lol so thanks for turning me on to this awesome artist. I hope you had an amazing time in New Orleans, the gator farm and swamp tour sound incredible!
  
• u/ExcessiveCharm – thank you for the hilarious “I poop on racists” bird card, I am so enamored with it lol. Also, it came with a really cool “Protect Endangered Species” badger postmark that I’ve never seen before. Happy Spring!
  
• u/GreetingCardShark (lol hilarious name) – thank you for the handmade Parks & Rec card! That’s awesome that it’s a reusable sticker, I love it! Everyone gets “the Pit” stuck in their heads, you’re far from alone!
  

WSS, I've got it. PM to get it back. 👍🏻
modz: hope this is okay. Delete if not...

Here is a listing of all the media articles, for the past 2 weeks on anything gun related that related to New Jersey:
Note: Articles on the recent PI ruling have been omitted as covered in separate post (Link at bottom)

1. Man Shot By Police After Firing Gun Near NJ Train Station: Mayor Wayne, NJ Patch
2. Prosecutor: 6 NY men posed as police in armed NJ home invasion (nj1015.com)
3. New Jersey police officer who authorities say shot and killed a 911 caller is charged with manslaughter CNN
4. Newark Sees 4th Multiple Shooting In A Month: 4 Shot, 1 Dead Newark, NJ Patch
5. Person With Gun Reported At Great Falls, Juvenile Charged: Paterson PD Wayne, NJ Patch
6. 13-year-old's shooting inspires anti-crime initiative in Newark, New Jersey for summer safety - ABC7 New York (abc7ny.com)
7. Analysis: Three experts explain America's gun politics CNN
8. NJ State Police seize guns from Paterson man and woman (northjersey.com)
9. NJ’s attorney general confronts gun violence, corruption, police reform — and a paradox - Gothamist
10. NJ Teen Charged With Attempted Murder In Shooting Near Carnival East Brunswick, NJ Patch
11. Pa. man charged after accidentally shooting himself at Wildwood Crest motel, police say PhillyVoice
12. Church member arrested in shooting death of Sayreville councilwom (nj1015.com)
13. Student Photo With Firearm Probed, 'No Imminent Danger': Brick PD Brick, NJ Patch
14. NJ road rage gunfire: 7 things to try when you’re this angry (nj1015.com)
15. Pleasantville, NJ, Man Facing Gun Charges After Foot Pursuit (wpgtalkradio.com)
16. DWI Driver Found With Loaded Gun After Crash: Montgomery Police Hillsborough, NJ Patch
17. Three Youths Arrested in Trenton After Bucks Gun Store Heist – NBC10 Philadelphia (nbcphiladelphia.com)
18. Mom says Newark police handcuffed 8-year-old daughter in search for big brother’s gun - nj.com
19. Hero N.J. police officer wrestled ‘ghost gun’ from suspect, saved bystanders - nj.com
20. Ex-Con Wanted In Edgewater Domestic Assault Caught Outside Cliffside Bar With Gun: Police Cliffside Park-Edgewater Daily Voice Serving Cliffside Park, Edgewater, Bogota, Fairview, and Ridgefield
21. Atlantic County Man Sentenced for Possession of Illegal Handgun (rlsmedia.com)
22. Shots fired outside a Paterson school over parking, cops say (nj1015.com)
23. Authorities identify 8-year-old, man killed by gunman in N.J. apartment - nj.com
24. Frackville man charged after gun discharges in Wildwood Crest, New Jersey, wounding him (yahoo.com)
25. Sen. Bob Menendez, Mayor Ras Baraka call for more enforcement of federal gun laws - CBS New York (cbsnews.com)
26. Murphy Announces Intention to Nominate Michael Noriega to Serve on the New Jersey Supreme Court - Insider NJ
27. Eunice Dwumfour murder: Arrest made in shooting death of New Jersey councilwoman - ABC7 New York (abc7ny.com)
28. N.J. attorney convicted of murder in shooting death of his longtime girlfriend - nj.com
29. Joaquin DeJesus, 53, of Atlantic City Sentenced to 8-Year Prison Term For Firearms Offenses - South Jersey Observer
30. AI may be the future of preventing school shootings PIX11
31. Chicago man arrested in NJ DWI with stolen gun from Alabama (wobm.com)
32. NJ Fugitive Joel Martinez Accused of Pistol-Whipping Transgender Woman, Shooting Others – NBC10 Philadelphia (nbcphiladelphia.com)
33. InsiderNJ's Fight of the Week: Platkin v. Bumb (and Guns) - Insider NJ
34. Worker Wrestles Gun From Gas Station Convenience Store Robber On Route 46 Saddle Brook-Elmwood Park Daily Voice Your Local News for Saddle Brook and Elmwood Park, New Jersey
35. Armed robber steals thousands in cash from NJ pharmacy (nj1015.com)
36. SEEKING PUBLIC’S ASSISTANCE: BERGENFIELD, NJ MAN SOUGHT IN ATTEMPTED MURDER INVESTIGATION - Bergen County Prosecutor's Office (bcpo.net)
37. Man charged in N.J. cold case killing was arrested with murder weapon a decade ago, cops say - nj.com
38. Two Atlantic City men arrested with drugs, handgun (pressofatlanticcity.com)
39. Atlantic County Man Sentenced For Handgun Possession Gloucester Daily Voice Your Local News for Gloucester County, New Jersey
40. Brattleboro man gets prison time as felon with a gun again Local News reformer.com
41. Southern District of New York New Jersey Man Charged With Gunpoint Robbery Of Manhattan Electronics Store United States Department of Justice
42. NJ man accused of leading PSP on chase along I-80 (yahoo.com)
43. Camden County Armed-Robbery Suspect Remains At Large: Police Collingswood, NJ Patch
44. District of New Jersey Essex County Man Admits Shooting of Former Federal Informant United States Department of Justice

Note: Articles on the recent PI ruling have been omitted as covered in separate post here:

https://www.reddit.com/NJGuns/comments/13k6wym/media_meltdown_media_coverage_on_judge_bumbs/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
Road Rage Incident - Still no proof / reports he had a PTC:

1. Road rage incident over lane change leads to attempted murder charge for Somerset man (news12.com)
2. Road Rage: Driver Charged with Attempted Murder after Shooting at Car Somerville, NJ News TAPinto
3. Road raging N.J. driver fired 2 shots at car while trying to merge, cops say - nj.com
4. Local Man Charged with Attempted Murder, Accused of Shooting at Car Franklin Township, NJ News TAPinto
5. Fuming NJ man shoots at driver in road rage terror, officials say (nj1015.com)
6. NJ driver charged with attempted murder in road rage attack (audacy.com)
7. NJ man shot at driver’s vehicle during road rage dispute: officials PIX11
8. Somerset NJ man charged with attempted murder in road rage incident (mycentraljersey.com)

​

Original itinerary here for reference. We planned this trip primarily with Halal food in mind, along with regular sight-seeing locations + shopping for Switch games, clothes, and souvenirs
Overall notes / Takeaways * I rate our trip a 9/10. It was a great time with the authentic halal Japanese food, seeing all the cool sights & places, and experiencing a very nice environment + culture.

• The amount of researching / pre-planning can be a double-edged sword. Things that were unexpected were some of the best experiences. At the same time, if we tightened our itinerary and squared away some details better: we could have saved some cash, lessened on-the-spot deliberations / route planning; and perhaps, squeezed a few more places to visit.
  
• This is where the 1 point ding comes in, especially not realizing until after-the-fact that the 14 day JR Pass was not cost efficient for us, especially with our hotel locations utilizing local lines + purchasing two separate pieces of luggage whereas instead, we should have just brought them from home. (If we had our luggage situation better planned, we would have shopped a bit differently.) This 1 point ding is not a deal breaker at all, and we’re still super happy with the trip.
  
• For our trip with the Halal dietary restriction, it would have been helpful to pickup a sim card for a Japanese phone # to make some reservations ourselves and taxi’ing around in Kyoto when we got tired of walking around. At the end of some of the shopping trips, the 10-15 minute walk back to the hotels were very tiring, and the cost estimates on Google didn’t seem too expensive for short trips.
  

First part of the trip - East side of Tokyo: Asakusa FRI 5/5 Arrival HND arrival was around 2pm, and we got to the hotel around 6:30pm. From there: We were able to start off our trip with Ramen for dinner @ Ayam-ya Halal Ramen Tokyo –> Senjo-jii and Nakamise Street at night (which was not crowded at all at night)

• Airport sidenotes: If you do the JapanWeb form online, make sure to complete it all the way until you get the QR code. I had started the day prior, but didn’t realized I left it incomplete. So we had to step out of line to manually hand-write. Also, we didn’t realize there’s two sets of lines / forms: the first for customs entry and second for customs declarations.
  
• SAT May 6: Edo Castle Ruins –> Tokyo Station (Ghibli, JUMP, Pokemon stores which were all super packed with long lines) –> (walked to Ginza and attempted late lunch at Ginza Tendon Itsuki, but line was too long and we went to MOS burger instead) → Tokyo Skytree Mall (first Takoyaki for my wife here! Some souvenir shopping here) –> Akihabara at night for videogame/anime trinket shopping → Antep Kebab Akihabara for dinner
  
• Sun May 7: Ueno Park –> Akihabara again –> Sushi lunch @ Sushiken Asakusa –> (skip daytime Senso-jii due to rain, and instead return to hotel) –> Yakiniku @ Wagyu Yakiniku Panga –> Rescue Cat Cafe Asakusa Nekoen
  
• Mon May 8: Early AM laundry @ hotel (only did this once), chill (play some Switch games) & Depart hotel (decided against baggage transport this time) –> Tokyo Station and some Ekiben from Ekibenya Matsuri –> Shinkansen
  

Notable Highlights Part 1:

• Ueno Park was our favorite part from this portion of the trip - even though it was raining, there were so many unexpected sights! We thought Edo Castle Ruins would be closer to like how Ueno Park was.
  
• Getting lucky at the halal yakiniku place for dinner without a reservation! Being there at open and the rain may have helped.
  

Notable Mid-light:

• Going to Akibahara twice since the first time where second trip ended up mostly window shopping. The first night, I tried using Google Translate photos on the rows of Switch videogames. This was not efficient, and after the first night, learned it was better to physically and manually go through each game and ask the cashiers if they had specific games with photos/screenshots instead.
  
• We went to different stores each day, and it was really only the first night where we actually bought stuff. I did not find collector Switch steelbooks which I was specifically keeping an eye out for. We didn’t find much luck anime trinkets we wanted here, and instead found those at the next part of our trip.
  
• Notable Low-light: Even though the mall was fun for shopping and there was a festival ongoing, we were unable to reserve actual Tokyo Skytree Towers tickets. This stung a bit since this was after missing lunch at our original place. IIRC, I got stuck on the mobile webpage where it asked for a phone # that needed to be a JP #...although checking now, it doesn’t seem to ask for it.
  

Second part of the trip: Kyoto * Mon May 8 continued: Hotel arrival around 4pm –> Downtown Kyoto shopping (Surugaya) and clothes @ Coco → 7/11 dinner (taxi here would have been really helpful to go to once of the local restaurants, as I started getting foot pains)

• Tues May 9: Gion & Nanzaka, light street food for lunch, including better street Takoyaki –>(skip Philosopher's Path and Central Kyoto area) –> went straight to Kinkakuji –> Downtown Kyoto (luggage, insole, not much luck at more games/anime trinkets at this time) –> South Asian @ MABRUR for early dinner –> called it an early afternoon due to fatigue/foot pain (finally installed the insoles this night with borrowed scissors from front desk)
  
• Wed May 10: Bus to Arashiyama –> Bamboo Forest –> (Missed the Sagano train, did not appear open) –> chill at the Katsura riverside instead → Japanese curry @ Yosiya –> Monkey Forest Hike –> (skip boat ride due to closure / high water levels) –> Fushimi Inari –> chill at Kamo River on our return to hotel –> called it an early afternoon with private onsen reservation waiting for us at hotel
  
• Thurs May 11: chill (play more switch games) and pack in the AM (we used luggage transfer this time) → Ramen @ Ayam Ya Karasuma Kyoto prior to Kyoto departure (which turned out to be her favorite meal from this whole trip) –> Back to Shinkansen
  

Notable Highlights Part 2: * Experiencing all the nature on WED was our favorite part of this portion, especially the rivers! We did not realize the “20 minute walk” would end up a 45 minute hike as we were not prepared, but it was a very fun going up and taking breaks at all the stops.

• We did not expect downtown Kyoto to be as lively and cool at night as we saw it, since we mostly researched the traditional parts of this city beforehand; and we did not expect Kyoto to be where we’d get a lot of our shopping done. The Surugaya here had the most Switch games I purchased at best prices (and the anime bins for trinkets as souvenirs, my wife had a lot of fun here); Gion had a lot of other souvenirs; and downtown had a lot of clothes.
  
• Notable Low-light*: fatigue and foot pain at the end of those days when we did a lot of shopping, especially traveling between different stores (not all of which didn’t have what we were looking for, like the extra Bookoffs and Lashingbangs we visited). Some benches really would have helped. We did buy Dr. Schwartz insoles and cooling pads for our feets at the pharmacy stores here, which helped with some exhaustion, but not all.
  

Last part of the trip: Shibuya/Shinjuku * Thurs May 11 continued: Reach Shibuya @ 6:30pm → Shibuya Scramble once –> Walk to Yakiniku @ GYUMON –> back to Shibuya Scramble and see Hachiko + Tower Record –> grab Chestnuts –> Starbucks at night with upper view of Shibuya crossing

• Fri May 12: Diet Building Observatory (no luck with viewing Mt. Fuji due to clouds, even on the Shinkansen rides) –> Ramen @ Honolu Shinjukugyoenmae –> Friday Congregational Prayer @ Tokyo Camii Center –> Harajuku & Takeshita Street (heavy snack with fried cheese stick + cotton candy) → back to Shibuya Crossing → Shibuya Mega Don Quijote (lots of shopping here) –> (missed the Pokemon Center) → picked up some takehome kebab from near Shibuya crossing → back to the hotel early afternoon/night due to rain and bags full of purchases
  
• SAT May 13: Shinjuku Bookoff (notable for large inventory, but not too cheap compared to Surugaya Kyoto) –> Omoide Ally short walk –> Godzilla @ Toho –> Kabukicho short walk (was looking for the large entrance side, but did not find) –> Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden (just the north part, mainly the Botanical Garden) –> Ramen @ Honolu Shinjukugyoenmae –> Nakano Broadway –> Golden Gai (was super crowded, left halfway) –> Uniqlo –> Shinjuku Don Quijote (mainly for luggage scale that we missed) –> Surugaya –> Subway for dinner since we were not able to get in Zen restaurant for vegetarian or seafood okonomiyaki
  
• Sun May 14: Tokyo Tower (one of the only reservations we made) –> Tsujiki Outer Market for light lunch (we ate only at places with small/no lines, everywhere else was packed) –> Odaiba & Diver City Mall + Gundam Base + Gundam Unicorn –> skip lunch for some crepes and banana smoothie, even though there were halal meat places around → (skip teamLabs that we didn’t end up reserving for) → Surugaya Shinjuku (last shot at games/trinkets) –> last Ramen @ Honolu Shinjukugyoenmae –> sad walk back to hotel, but also relief knowing that we’ll be done with all the walking soon.
  
• Mon May 15: finish packing –> taxi to airport (through Booking.com where we made hotel bookings) –> kebab lunch @ Mrs. Istanbul (had to utilize bus transfer between terminals after luggage dropoff) → final souvenir snack shopping inside airport → Depart back home to LAX!
  

Notable Highlights Part 3:

• The Ramen with the Fried Chicken @ Honolu Shinjukugyoenmae was my favorite meal, especially coming back to it so many times!
  
• Friday congregational prayer at Tokyo Camii Center: the sermon was done in 4 different languages (Arabic first, then Japanese, then Melay I think, then English) - that impressed me along with its architecture. It was such a peaceful and familiar experience in a new environment. They gave out some food after (rice+natto I believe plus sesame ball sweets I believe), although we passed since we were still full.
  
• Shibuya Scramble was always fun to walk across! Busiest crosswalk in the world!
  
• Tower Tokyo tour was the nicest tower experience that I’ve had (they served us Lemonade!) and my wife got to take a photo with the Tokyo Tower Mascot, Noppon.
  
• Mega Don Quijote at Shibuya to finish up the bulk of our shopping, especially on souvenirs! Especially picking up Zelda Tears of Kingdom at release day!
  
• Gundam Base & live Gundan Unicorn transformation @ Odaiba Diver City! My wife went into it mostly blind, and was very impressed.
  

Noteable Mid-light: Harajuka and Takeshita street were cool to window browse, but we didn’t find anything we actually wanted to purchase here. It made me realize, like our second time at Akihabara, that window shopping isn’t as fun as actual shopping. -Aside from the Gundam @ Odaiba, we didn’t get too excited about anything else here. If we visited here first / sooner, we may have had a better time (along with keeping an eye out for more Gundam merch earlier throughout the trip). There was a nearby amusement center that was on our original plan to visit too. But at this point, I think we ran out of gas.
Notable Low-light: * The last hotel for me, especially with its location being furthest out from nearest station and not being as nice as the first two hotel.

• The Subway sandwiches (shrimp and tuna respectively) were pretty sad on SAT, although the potato fries they gave were okay (we forgot to ask for ketchup). There was another halal yakiniku place nearby that we stopped by in front of, but decided against it as we wanted something quicker / more casual.
  
• Though not part of the actual trip, on upon LAX arrival: the lack of cleanliness, customer service and organization were immediately noticeable, which reflected on how nice Tokyo & Kyoto were!
  

Other notes

• Biggest shoutout to my wife for being with me and her patience, especially while Switch game hunting and being chaotic while planning!
  
• Hotels: all our hotels were listed as 3 star hotels. We learned that every minute walk closer to the nearest station(s) really makes a difference – i.e. a 5 min walk back to the hotel wasn’t as bad as a 7-8 minute walk, and 10-12 minute walks back where the worst. We did keep an eye on square footage for the rooms (wanted to avoid less than 150 feet² for 2 people). We averaged around $95 USD per night.
  
• Henna Tokyo Hotel - Asakusa was a very nice hotel, especially with the animated front desk and great first time with bidets and warm toilet seats which the other hotels did not have. 183 feet² which felt small but sufficient.
  
• Second hotel - Kyomachiya Ryokan Sakura Urushitei in Kyoto - was a bit further from local bus points, but this was also a very nice hotel, especially as a Ryokan with great customer service and hidden shelve compartments in the room. We also did not expect a 2nd floor for the private garden view, which was also very nice. 156 feet² would have been small by itself, but pretty sure this does not account for the 2nd floor.
  
• Our last hotel, Cloud Himalaya felt like a re-designed local apartment, so it didn’t feel as nice, but it was the most spacious @ 291 feet². It was the furthest away from the local stops/stations. It was a low-light for me, especially compared to the first two hotels. My wife thought it was okay though: she thought it was comfy and the space inside the room made up for it.
  
• -Local Transportation: We only got on the wrong train once, and it was on our first night when leaving HND airport. For the rest of the trip, we didn’t have much issues. The learning curve for us was short to navigate the trains with GoogleMap, by looking at train departure times on our phone directions and platform # to match info listed on the electronic train station boards that have or switch into English.
  
• Even if we took an extra min or two to verify the train/bus to take, and we missed a train that was right in front of us, the trains were frequent enough such that it wasn’t a long delay – usually 5-8 mins at most. Having very little reservations in our itinerary helped in this aspect.
  
• The GoogleMaps LIVE view on directions was a useful feature in finding bus stops, especially in Kyoto and Shibuya/Shinjuku.
  
• Phone Plan: We decided against one Ubigi and one Airalo data plan and just got two Ubigi data plans. Overall, we used only 4-5 GBs each out of the 10 GBs available. Ubigi worked well throughout the 10 days. As noted earlier, having a JP phone # would have been helpful.
  
• Flights: standard flight experience with Delta - around $750 USD roundtrip for each of us. The lack of space didn’t bother us too much except when fumbling around with the meal trays. We requested special accommodations for Halal food on the HND inbound flight, and they provided vegan food which we didn’t enjoy that much (i.e. PICKLE SANDWICH!).
  
• On the return flight to LAX, we did not put in any special accommodations and had a better time with their regular vegetarian food (although the pasta salad was very creamy and the Hagan Dazs they gave were slightly melted).
  
• Language: We were able to get away with just using from sumimasen and arigato for the most part, and used English/non-verbal language most of the trip otherwise.
  

*more review/input on food commented in original plan here

My pharmacy, the great and wonderful CVS, (cue eyeroll) messed up my prescription and I've been without pregabalin since Sunday. The on-call doctor refuses to give me a script for a couple pills to carry me over until after the holiday weekend, citing on-call is for "urgent matters only". So, I've missed the last four doses. I'm on a pretty low regimen (75mg pill, twice a day) so I'm surprised that I feel like total crap without it. I was up all night imagining cutting my legs off to alleviate the pain. Wtf. How can pharmacists and doctors really care so little about us?

Hi there, I just moved to The Woodlands, TX and looking to switch my Wegovy to a new pharmacy. Does anyone know of a pharmacy that carries in the Woodlands/Spring area? Dr. stated to stay away from CVS. I’m in 2.4 and have never had an issue with supply.