Attack of the Foreign Microbes! the Return
Today I stayed inside and rolled around on my bed, due to the unfortunate and timely attack of international microbes. It's been a little rainy--threatening, more then raining--all week here, with sudden showers making appearances after the sun's gone down and the air temperature hits that sweet point of cold that calls it down in a rush. Rain comes in heavy sheets here--none of this flightly, horizontal nonsense. Just steady downpours that explains the flourishing community of green plants struggling by the less-walked roadsides and the massive park just five minutes away. (We discovered it by accident and with no small amount of joy two or three weeks post-Japan-arrival).
Of course, it's cold season here--on the trains, you can tell, because suddenly there are at least one person per car with a face mask on, and more of that trying to muffle impolite coughing--and I was silly enough to lack in sleep for a few days. A prime recipe for sick me. Normally it'd be fine, but in Japan Sudafed, my most wonderful and amazing of cold decongestants....is illegal.
So no medical help for me, just vitamin c and the dwindling supply of Sucretes I can dive for in my bag. This would be cold number two; I think Japan's microbes are mounting investigative salvoys, and I'm am halfway dreading whatever may come next.
Now I can also hear the occasional plaintive cries of stray cats outside my window; there's a ton of strays wandering around Tokyo, and my dorm mother feeds them scraps from dinner. They linger outside her window, and know how to get attention.
Not to say I've not been doing anything. Flash list of Things I need to Blog About and Post Pictures For! (The continued addition, not in chronological order)
Joined Aikido--small club, really nice members.
Went to Kamakura and the Daibutsu with some international students and the 'take care of the international students' Japanese students.
Had 'unusual people on the train!' adventures. (aka one)
Helped a lost foreigner that was either a business man or an academic guy not get lost in the station I use nearly every day.
Discovered a two story stationary store.
...that sells copics.
...and manga tones.
...and is a fifteen minute train ride away, if not less.
...that I go by most evenings.
...yes, this is hard.
Bought a cell phone using only Japanese! (I feel like I unlocked a minigame. Where is my bigger wallet?)
Watched obscure (and famous) Japanese films for class.
Discovered small and highly fashionable (apparently?) bento boxes that may make good gifts for a certain two girls I know that like to cook a lot of things, and often feed me at the same time.
Ate Okonomiyaki in a small non-chain hole in the wall store! Made with soba! It was Delicious!
Still need to:
Actually, y'know, GO INTO TOKYO. When I'm not sick. Or otherwise dead. Why do I always get these invitations when half dead? BAD TIMING, COLD. BAD TIMING. I could have both gone to Ghibli AND Harajuku+Akebahara this weekend otherwise with some cool folks. That much squee + cold + walking = death. So instead I went with T to visit a nice lady she met in a roundabout way, and the ladies' small and adorable children, in a very nice park. Food + interesting conversation half in English, half in Japanese + talking about Noh + sitting = not dying. I think that's about as coherent as I'll get right now.
I'm also discovering that in the outskirts of a city, when you have your window open because it's cold and you do not want to suffocate in stale air, you hear a lot of very concerning noises. It's not the distant sirens of an ambulance (this is a universal seeming noise, though their ambulances remind me more of American police sirens), or the cars driving by. It's the occasional cat yowling in the dark and the loud, sharp sounds and occasional voice in unhappy tones echoing in the room.
I also think I slept through my first earthquake on Friday. I was half-asleep and felt a sort of--not a shaking, so much as P-waves, which makes no sense to someone who hasn't taken college level geography. Like a forwards roll, only kinetic, only a wave, only not. Nothing fell over but there was an intensity 3 in the morning according to the webs, and I'm only half-certain I did not dream that. I was pretty out of it, and it was my last full night of sleep before the cold hit with a stronger vengeance. ..Well, both the weather temperature and the microbe.
Otherwise, I've been flailing to figure out ways to eat that does not require pans, debating that perhaps I should get some if only to boil some potatoes for myself and eat them because, no surprise, potatoes here are delicious. I had some of J's (down the hall, adorable like woah, many hearts, is in my J2 class) the other day, and ryouchou-san came by and knew immediately they had to be from Hokkaido. Apparently Hokkaido grows really amazing, and distinctive, potatoes. They are famous here. I think Hokkaido is famous for a lot of crops in Japan--you see it stamped on to things, food things, very often. It's one of the less populated areas, and despite all the cold has good growing. At least for potatoes, I'm not sure what else. Perhaps also cows and grain used for bread, that's what I always see the Hokkaido kanji on.
I owe pictures like woah. Every time I sit down to load them something comes up. X_o gyaaaaaarh.
Of course, it's cold season here--on the trains, you can tell, because suddenly there are at least one person per car with a face mask on, and more of that trying to muffle impolite coughing--and I was silly enough to lack in sleep for a few days. A prime recipe for sick me. Normally it'd be fine, but in Japan Sudafed, my most wonderful and amazing of cold decongestants....is illegal.
So no medical help for me, just vitamin c and the dwindling supply of Sucretes I can dive for in my bag. This would be cold number two; I think Japan's microbes are mounting investigative salvoys, and I'm am halfway dreading whatever may come next.
Now I can also hear the occasional plaintive cries of stray cats outside my window; there's a ton of strays wandering around Tokyo, and my dorm mother feeds them scraps from dinner. They linger outside her window, and know how to get attention.
Not to say I've not been doing anything. Flash list of Things I need to Blog About and Post Pictures For! (The continued addition, not in chronological order)
Joined Aikido--small club, really nice members.
Went to Kamakura and the Daibutsu with some international students and the 'take care of the international students' Japanese students.
Had 'unusual people on the train!' adventures. (aka one)
Helped a lost foreigner that was either a business man or an academic guy not get lost in the station I use nearly every day.
Discovered a two story stationary store.
...that sells copics.
...and manga tones.
...and is a fifteen minute train ride away, if not less.
...that I go by most evenings.
...yes, this is hard.
Bought a cell phone using only Japanese! (I feel like I unlocked a minigame. Where is my bigger wallet?)
Watched obscure (and famous) Japanese films for class.
Discovered small and highly fashionable (apparently?) bento boxes that may make good gifts for a certain two girls I know that like to cook a lot of things, and often feed me at the same time.
Ate Okonomiyaki in a small non-chain hole in the wall store! Made with soba! It was Delicious!
Still need to:
Actually, y'know, GO INTO TOKYO. When I'm not sick. Or otherwise dead. Why do I always get these invitations when half dead? BAD TIMING, COLD. BAD TIMING. I could have both gone to Ghibli AND Harajuku+Akebahara this weekend otherwise with some cool folks. That much squee + cold + walking = death. So instead I went with T to visit a nice lady she met in a roundabout way, and the ladies' small and adorable children, in a very nice park. Food + interesting conversation half in English, half in Japanese + talking about Noh + sitting = not dying. I think that's about as coherent as I'll get right now.
I'm also discovering that in the outskirts of a city, when you have your window open because it's cold and you do not want to suffocate in stale air, you hear a lot of very concerning noises. It's not the distant sirens of an ambulance (this is a universal seeming noise, though their ambulances remind me more of American police sirens), or the cars driving by. It's the occasional cat yowling in the dark and the loud, sharp sounds and occasional voice in unhappy tones echoing in the room.
I also think I slept through my first earthquake on Friday. I was half-asleep and felt a sort of--not a shaking, so much as P-waves, which makes no sense to someone who hasn't taken college level geography. Like a forwards roll, only kinetic, only a wave, only not. Nothing fell over but there was an intensity 3 in the morning according to the webs, and I'm only half-certain I did not dream that. I was pretty out of it, and it was my last full night of sleep before the cold hit with a stronger vengeance. ..Well, both the weather temperature and the microbe.
Otherwise, I've been flailing to figure out ways to eat that does not require pans, debating that perhaps I should get some if only to boil some potatoes for myself and eat them because, no surprise, potatoes here are delicious. I had some of J's (down the hall, adorable like woah, many hearts, is in my J2 class) the other day, and ryouchou-san came by and knew immediately they had to be from Hokkaido. Apparently Hokkaido grows really amazing, and distinctive, potatoes. They are famous here. I think Hokkaido is famous for a lot of crops in Japan--you see it stamped on to things, food things, very often. It's one of the less populated areas, and despite all the cold has good growing. At least for potatoes, I'm not sure what else. Perhaps also cows and grain used for bread, that's what I always see the Hokkaido kanji on.
I owe pictures like woah. Every time I sit down to load them something comes up. X_o gyaaaaaarh.