I am sorry you were sick your first trip to Japan but it sounds like you have some fun stuff planned for this next time. I would love to go to Japan one day. I love watching the "site seeing shows" on the NHK Japanese channel, there is definitely lots to see/do there. It would be so fun to do an exchange program and live with a Japanese family. So nice you made friends with your school exchange student.
We have some very pretty shades of purple items on Windlyn.
For the dice game threads: If you click on the "full editor" button (instead of quick reply)and then when the new box for posting appears, click on the word "dice" on the top right. It will have the words dice dice populate, appear in your posting box, and just type in "5d6", between the dice words, for my sky is falling daily game roll, or for Monkeygirls 5 dice game thread, and in my pillow fight thread type in 3d6 between the dice words. It won't take you long to get the hang of it.
Oh...and I LOVE the pengwings on Windlyn