First Food Post

As you may know, food is important to live. I have eaten food while I have been in Japan, and I have yet to eat something that is not the best of whatever it is that I have ever had. Does that make sense? These people seem to have cornered the market on tasty foods. I find myself eating stuff that I would have picked out back in the states. Here, with their ninja-black-magic, they make vegetables of all kinds taste delicious. I have been taking pictures of most of the things I have eaten thus far. I will explain as we go:

 Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture until I had started eating...because it was so good. This is a pork ginger sautee dish with veggies and some pork at a restaurant near my house called Country Kitchen Robin

 This it the same dish once it had made friends with the rice

It came with a salad that was super delicious 

This is the decor of the Country Kitchen Robin. It is entirely western themed and makes me feel at home 

 Very cabin-in-the-woods esque

 For some reason, there was a scooter parked inside, also, they were playing Bob Marley...usually they play country, but not this night

 This is the ramen that I forgot to take a picture of until I was half done and it might be the best thing I have eaten thus far in Japan. It was raining outside, and we could hear thunder. It had pork int it and the noodles delicious! Not bad for 7 dollars.

This it outside of an ice cream shop. I have mentioned (maybe) that I live essentially in a cloud. Fog rolls in fairly often and leaves it spooky like this. 

Yeah, I probably should have warned you about the vulgarity here. This is an advertisement for some kind of candy (I think) that is poo shaped. You will see why in a minute.  

 Japan is famous for the different flavors of Kit-Kat bars. There are something like 89 different regional flavors. These were blueberry cheesecake and some kind of regional apple. Both were delicious.

 Ah...the Poop Ice Cream. This stand is a play on Japanese words (I am told). The word for poop is Kuso and the word for ice cream is sofuto kurimu (soft cream). This place is called kusofuto. Mixing poo and ice cream, get it? Anyway, there is a little turd in there with the chocolate ice cream, and the spoon has a fly on the end of it. To top it all off, it is served in a little plastic squat toilet.

 Yep...

 This was at a Korean style place we went to where they let you cook your own meat in the grill in the middle of the table (seen below)

 There is some kind of Japanese pumpkin in there with a green pepper and chicken

 This magnificent wonder is called bibinba. It is a mix of some veggies, rice, cheese, some kind of meat and a raw egg cracked over the top of it

Served in a skillet, the egg cooks up as you mix it all around, it was phenomenal. It tasted like Christmas for some reason 

Japanese McDonalds. This was my journey for the day, to go get a Big Mac. Delicious and familiar. The fries were very good and very fresh. Told you the food was all good. 

This is most of a little squid served on a stick in a package that I found in a grocery store. I did not eat this. Nor shall I. Sorry Japan, but this is nasty.

Adventures in Shopping

In Japan, there are many stores, in these stores, there is a lot of crap. Here is a collection of all that crap I have found in Japan. We went to some junk stores, and some other stores over the last week or so and I found some very wonderful, and very bizarre things. I shall narrate the way through this jungle of junk for you:

 So this is the view from inside the junk shop, it doesn't look too bad does it?

 Stacks of appliances in the same room

 This handsome couple guards the way to the appliance warehouse

 A whole shelf of wooden idol thingys

 This is a tiny porcelain toilet. I don't know why you would want to showcase this in your home, or why you would spend 6 dollars on it...

 I found this gem...the Worlds First Calculator! Amazing right? Here I am in Asia, and I find the worlds first calculator. You will notice that there is no price on it. After all, it would be priceless right?

 This place is a giant nerd store that the white folks call The Mummy's Ghost for obvious reasons. It is an absolutely wild collection of stores. It is like an indoor flea market for all things nerdy/Japanese.

 These are shelves full of little action figures from every anime ever created ever.

 More anime action figures, and if you look close, you can see my reflection.

 Another priceless gem that I feel could only be found in Japan, Destiny's Child's first CD. Incredible right?

 We have all heard of Japan and their wacky robots. Turns out Robocop guards this shop as well.

 Cannabis incense, for the classy, discerning individual

 Next was the House-Off store, which is like D.I. but nicer. This chest of drawers was about 60 bucks.

 This is the first picture of the fabled chairs that I keep talking about. Pooh may be what you focus on, but the true treasure was underneath.

 A trip to a Japan junk store wouldn't be complete without something that is largely inappropriate, so here is a mousepad with a built in cushion for your wrist. Convenient right? And icky.

The last picture here is of a full body bear suit that you can wear around and...do...beary...things...in. Weird right?

The Place Where I Live

I realize that you are all dying to see what kind of luxurious accommodations accompany my journey to Japan. Here it is: the real nitty gritty of where I live. I told you it looks like Jurassic Park, and I think you will see why. I tried to do a video and, after 3 hours, it didn't work. I have just a collection of pictures that should do the job well enough. 

 Like many wonderful things, we begin in the bathroom with the bathtub and shower. This is a cover on the ultra-deep but not-so-long bathtub

 The shower (not an oddly placed phone like I originally thought)

 Ah...the toilet. Heated for my comfort, a flick of the switch and I sit on a ring of fire...

 This is the front entryway where you leave your shoes and such

 The same, but the opposite angle. SUU flag on the wall, showing pride even in Asia

 This is the staircase leading up to the bedroom/tatami room

This couch that is face down has a story that will destroy your mind when you hear it. I have a full post for it. 

 This is actually where I am sitting right now...also in the living room

 Another angle of the super giant (though free) Japanese T.V. passed down from JET to JET for years

Bookcase and spare table 

Tiny kitchen with stovetop and sink 

 From top to bottom: Rice Cooker, Toaster Oven, Microwave, Tiny Refridgerator

 Food/dish shelf

Trash organizers. Burnable, Non-burnable and recyclable. 

 The stairs going upstairs, and a heated rug up against the wall

 The view from the landing into the courtyard of the preschool

The tatami room, complete with laundry! 

...a lot of laundry. 

 Window outside

 This is the view from outside my house looking at the parking lot

 The one of the left is mine

 Another view of the Preschool from the parking lot

Baseball diamond view from the parking lot. Once a week, firefighters practice here. It looks like the Japanese Sandlot...which would make me mean Mr. Myrtle.