09.30.06
Crosswalk Sign
Here is a picture of a “Pedestrian Crossing” sign. At first I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary but after a while something just doesn’t seem right. What were they thinking?!? And who made the stencil for this thing?!?
09.28.06
Seriously?!?!
Ok, the secret is out. Japan, land of green tea lovers…has shite for tea. Or perhaps I just haven’t drunk enough. Although the green tea is not good (forget about finding herbal out here) I decided to purchase some anyway because I like to drink tea sometimes even if its not very good tea.
So after a long day at work…tired and ready to unwind…I boiled some water and prepared my tea in the pot. After letting it steep a little while, anticipating the warm tea in my throat, I poured a cup and breathed in deeply…ah, te–what tha??
So this wasn’t green tea after all. It was seaweed tea. Much more disgusting than it sounds.
Sometimes I believe that I am on some twisted sort of Japanese reality show and that on Tuesdays at 7, Japanese people everywhere tune in to laugh at the stupid American.
Here are some pictures of my town.
Vending machines are everywhere, even in the middle of nowhere.
I’ll post more up soon. 
Useful Facts About Hello Kitty
1. She weighs as much as three apples
2. She has a twin sister named Mimmy (Mimmy wears a yellow bow)
3. She likes drawing but is good at sports too.
who knew?
Seasonal Food??
Japanese menus vary with the season. For example, in hot weather, they eat most of their noodles cold. So perhaps it is because of the season that our tacos at the buffet were sitting over ice? Or maybe its just because all of the warming pots were being used for the curry and rice. It seemed that the curry and rice section WAS more popular than the tacos. But was that a cultural preference for the food or just the fact that the tacos WERE ICE COLD! Seriously, they might like western food more if it was served correctly. grrrr. oh wait, I mean brrrr.
p.s. The buffet cost less for me than for Scott because I`m a girl. haha, suckahs!
09.27.06
I Have a New Home!!!
Well, its still in the same town but I am moving this weekend into an infinitely better place than my old, nasty, yucky apartment.
By a stroke of good fortune I have found a fabulous, BRAND NEW house—and I can afford it! This weekend I will move and I have never been so excited!
Will post some pics very very soon.
09.22.06
My Apartment is Killing Me
So I thought I would be frugal and move into the smaller, older apartment. It is just me after all. What single person needs more than a room, a toilet and a kitchen with a shower in it? Turns out, while I can bear with the miniscule space I can’t bear with the disgustingly nasty mold-growth-and-whatever-else is in the apartment. I really can’t. Every day I come home and it starts: itchy eyes, runny nose (that is still somehow stopped up at the same time), sneezing, wheezing, itchy throat, headache, dizziness (hmm, this is starting to sound like a list of side-effects–no diarrhea, thankfully).
Depending on how flexible the landlord and real estate office are I could be paying another $2000 to $4000 just to get moved into another apartment. By far the most annoying thing about this country.
09.17.06
Typhoon!
Well, the typhoon we’ve been waiting all week for is finally here. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced although I’m sure not that cool for many of you who have seen hurricanes. The wind is absolutely HOWLING and sheets of rain are battering our windows. Wind is whistling in the vents and making really creepy sounds. It’s only 7:30 but already completely pitch black outside except for a few lone street lamps that are sure to go out soon. One of the dividing walls between our balcony and the neighbor’s has blown halfway off and is flapping wildly. I hope it doesn’t decide to flap toward our windows and break something. Already it has broken some things on the neighbor’s balcony…we could hear things shatter above the gales.
Wow. It’s unbelievably loud. No cool thunder and lightning like I was hoping for but a show nonetheless. Forecast for tomorrow is “partly cloudy.” I’m glad these things don’t last too long…my only other request is that next time it arrives on a weekday. We don’t have to go to work when a typhoon comes.
09.15.06
Pink Fish?
Do you know those coconut candies that are pink with a white stripe down the middle? Here in Japan they serve a weird sort of processed fish product that looks just like that. It comes in otherwise normal looking ramen soup. No matter what kind of soup you order, it always comes with at least two weird hot pink and white squares of `fish.` It looks weird and also, tastes nothing like real fish. blech.
Sports Day!!
Yesterday I watched the junior high Sports Day rehearsal. Yes, a REHEARSAL for a field day. I didn`t understand why they had been practicing so hard for this (every afternoon for two weeks–so all afternoon classes cancelled) until I saw their Sports Day `run through.` Yes, I have heard of field days in the U.S. There are relays, three legged races, sprints, etc. They have those here too. But they also have some of the most elaborate and strange competitions…
For example: the Samurai battle. This one is for the boys only. One boy sits atop two boys shoulders (one butt cheek on one of each boys shoulder). Another boy stands in front and the two `base` boys put a hand on the front boy`s shoulder so that the boy on top has a sort of chair. These three kids are the boy`s `horse` They then proceed to play chicken with the other `samurais` atop their `horses,` trying to knock each other down.
Each game is more elaborate and more dangerous than anything I have ever seen in an American school`s organized sport. They are very fond of putting kids on top of other kids. After every `game` there were plenty of students brought to the special `medic` tent to be patched up. At least they were prepared.
Fun stuff nonetheless. Definitely interesting to watch. Somehow sitting there though, I felt a little like I was watching a chariot race or a gladiator match. haha.
Here’s a pic of a Cowboy relay
