Sunday the 23rd
Sunday - Today I was woken up by the doorbell again. Climbing down the ladder half asleep is not going to work every time, I’m pretty sure at some point I’ll fall. Today it was not the delivery guy, but Scott telling me to go bowling with him and Shoko. So I got up and got ready and he fixed my broke ass bike and we went. I got my best score ever today and I can’t even tell anyone about it!!! I bowled 110, then 121, then 150! So of course I have a printout and I’ll post a picture as soon as I have internet access. After bowling we went to a sushi restaurant that was right next door. So they ate their raw things and I had those rice-inside-tofu-soaked-in-vinegar things, some salmon, some sausage sushi (I know, weird, right?), and cucumber rolls. Now, there were lots of different salmon sushi, and I picked the two that looked cooked compared to the raw ones. One really was cooked and it was delicious. The other turned out to only be half cooked but I ate it anyway because I hate looking whiny. So there. I ate raw fish. It didn’t taste bad, but I didn’t like the texture. So I think in time I will be able to do it, but in the mean time there are sausage, omelette, cooked salmon, and hamburg steak sushi waiting for me. J Next time I’m so getting the hamburg sushi. Hehe. So after that everyone split up to do our own things. I headed off in the general direction of the main road, and stopped on the way because there was a pet store!!! Its in the hardware store, of all places. So I looked at the puppies and the bunnies and the birdies (finches, budgies, lovebirds, and cockatiels, nothing special) and felt sad because I can’t have one. They even had a lionhead bunny, but they wanted 9800Y for a freaking rabbit. (nearly $100). I can get one in America for like 5 bucks, literally. So no bunbun today. Then I biked to Yamada Denki, which is the electronics store here. It reminds me of Best Buy without the store-brand crap items. So I almost bought a rice cooker but then I realized: I biked there, how the hell would I get it home? So I settled for just an impact resistant laptop cover. There are a ton of awesome looking DS games out including a new Tales game, a new FF Tactics game, and some other stuff that looked cool but I can’t remember. Steve - there’s a Negima game for Wii if you still like that series. Looking at the PS2 games made me sad. Then I biked back towards the bowling alley because I wanted to go to the Western-girl-butt-size-jeans store, UNI QLO. I looked around and didn’t really see anything I needed, but its good to know its there. I didn’t test the jeans to see if they were the right size for my butt though. I also saw some suits but they would have been $99 for pants and jacket, so I didn’t get one. Then I decided why not go to Tobu, the local department store. I figured I wouldn’t be able to afford anything but I like to look so it’s cool. It was just across the street so I biked over, parked, and went in. At this point I was feeling pretty good about biking around. I’m still not able to turn corners but other than that, I’m good. So I went into Tobu and passed by all the designer stuff and food on the first floor because I was feeling full/ queasy from the sushi. On the second floor, I found the sales. OMG, 500Y sweaters and 700Y dresses and sweatshirts. I got one of each of the above as well as a 300Y scarf. So I paid around $22 for 4 items, which for a department store is hot. I wanted to get a suit there too but same price as the other store (minimum - there were some $400 suits, too) and no guarantee about the butts. The suits at Tobu came with pants and a skirt though, and a white shirt - the whole package. But still I didn’t have that much cash on me and it seems kind of high anyway. I have only 2 pantsuits I can wear to work tho, so this is getting a little old. Anyway, so the third floor had dishes (my weakness!!!), kimono, kids’ stuff, and Heart Books (bookstore chain). I browsed a lot but didn’t buy anything. I really need a cookbook so I can make things that are actual dishes instead of throwing stuff in a pot and calling it dinner. Having ingredients would also help, I guess. I checked out the shoes, too, but even the L ones don’t fit. Then I realized that L refers to 24.5cm, and my feet are 25.5 - 26cm. There was no XL that I could see, so no shoes for me yet.
So, after Tobu, I have 2 bags - one with the laptop cover and one with clothes, yay! So with one on each handlebar, I set off for home. At this point I’m able to ride the bike without even thinking about it, but the bags unbalanced me just a little. I was ok until another bike went by in the other direction and I almost swerved into a wall. I put my hand out so it was ok, but it was close. I can balance, and go fast, slow down, brake, and carry light items, so I’d say I’m ok with biking now. I have a hard time turning corners and passing people makes me nervous, because I can’t guarantee I won’t hit them, and I really don’t want to hit someone. So today at least, my purchases and I made it home in one piece. I hope to get to the level of bike mastery that I see all around me - schoolgirls talking on their phones and carrying their umbrellas and whatever else all at once while biking in the rain. It seems impossible at the moment.
Another thing about Japan is the stockings situation. I have to wear them to work every day, and since I’m wearing pants, I have knee high ones and its fine, BUT this country has apparently never heard of thigh high (sheer, flesh colored) stockings. Of course there are thigh high fashion socks and ‘over knee’ socks and stuff but they’re all black or in bright colors, both of which my company says are too casual. OK fine. But I went to the biggest store in town and looked for stockings. Japan makes sheer, flesh colored open toed stockings, toeless stockings, low rise stockings, UV protective stockings, but no thigh highs? I have only one thing to say, and it is this: W.T.F. do I need UV protective stockings for?
Also I bought some knee high ones at the dollar store the other day. They’re called “NonRun”, so tell me why on the first day I wore them, I immediately poked a hole in the side with my thumb while adjusting them and the hole turned into a giant run? That’s just blatant false advertising.
Tonight Dan is making curry for me and Scott (if he shows up) and whoever else, so I’m going to take my laptop over in its shiny new protective case and post all this info!