The Japanese Toilet

I don't mean to gross you out by showing you a picture of a toilet, but I don't think a lot of people know what a the traditional Japanese toilet looks like.  These days, most restrooms have at least some stalls with a Western toilet, and if you're in a hotel or somebody's home, they usually have the super fancy Western toilet with heated seat and all.  However, in train stations and parks this is sometimes all you will find.

The sight of this no longer scares me, but that was not always the case.  When we lived in Japan for the first time, I actually had a not-so-great experience with one of these.  Drew and I were visiting Nagasaki and were not yet able to check into our hotel.  The only bathroom we could find was in a nearby park and was Japanese style only.  It was the first time I had ever seen one of these things, much less tried to use one.  When I came into the stall I went ahead a faced the door like you would when using a Western toilet.  Not a good idea!  What I should have done was face the back wall.  You then use that lip coming up from the ground to tuck your pants behind.  There's even a handle to hold so you don't fall over onto the bathroom floor.  Let's just say I failed miserably and needed a wardrobe change...  I remember I was actually mad at Drew afterwards because he's a guy and it is so much easier for them.  Now I'm a serious pro and am ready to meet any toilet challenge thrown my way.  Good luck to any of you who happen across one of these in your future!

Easter

We're not sure how we'll be spending Easter this year.  It's very possible we will be attending a baseball game in Tokyo, depending on the weather.  Either way, we were lucky enough to get our Easter basket goodies all the way from home.  This package arrived from my mom this week.  Not only did it contain fantastic treats, but it also included surgical masks for the Yellow Dust.  Haha, very funny!

My mom knows us all too well and made sure to send an even number of items so that there would be no fighting.  Thanks!

Cherry Blossoms

We took a trip into Ueno this past weekend, as we heard that the Cherry Blossoms were starting up.  It was beautiful!  I loved how trees were lining the whole walkway.

While in Tokyo, we browsed through music stores in Ochanomizu.  Tokyo is set up so that different parts of town cater to different kinds of stores.  If you want books, there is a district for that.  If you want a pair of skis, there is a district for that.  Ochanomizu is the music district, and seemed to be geared mostly towards guitars.

We also ate at an interesting hot dog restaurant while out and about.  I got the Vietnamese hot dog and Drew ordered one with mustard and onions.  It was a fun joint, but was missing a good ole fashioned chili dog if you ask me.

Lettuce: Day 59

It has been awhile since I've shown a lettuce update.  We are now onto day 59.   I actually don't know how to tell when it is fully mature, so I'm just letting it go and do its thing.

Pool

There were predictions of Aeolian Dust today, so we were on the lookout for an indoor activity.  Japanese people tend to have very small houses/apartments, not leaving much room for entertaining, which has led to the emergence of arcades, web centers, and overall entertainment centers in every town.  I'm not big on arcades, but one of the larger facilities nearby also has billiards and darts.  We were up for it!

Drew has to break because mine are wimpy

We played three games.  Drew won the first one with no problem.  I won the second one (Drew said I have to mention that it is because he sunk the eight ball in the wrong pocket), and he won the final game.  My pool skills are super rusty.  I even have to admit that I had forgotten some of the rules...eek.  Sorry childhood pool table, I know you are ashamed of me.  Especially maroon ball #7, which is the origin of 7 being my lucky number, and a guy by the way.  Unlike purple #4, which is a girl.  Yeah, I was an only child....

Plum Blossoms

It may not be Cherry Blossom season yet, but it is Plum Blossom season.  Drew and I went to Kairakuen Garden in Mito on Sunday where they have a large variety of Plum trees.  It was a beautiful, sunny day and a perfect way to usher in Spring.

THE snack to have was the Plum flavored ice cream.  We figured this out once we saw the long lines forming to purchase one of these babies.  Delicious!  It tasted just like a Chewy Spree.

The park was actually very large and even had a lake.  I would love to take a bike ride around here.  Gosh, it's great to be out of hibernation! 

Completed Hat

Drew's hat is finally finished.  I think there are a few cold nights left for him to get some use out of it this season.  I'm happy to say the final product was much better than my earlier attempts.  Drew even admitted that he had his doubts when he witnessed my practice rounds.

As we are coming close to the end of our time in Japan, I realize that I haven't done a great job documenting all of the little things that make Japan, well... Japan.  So I'm going to try to note these things as I think of them.

Japan Tidbits:

• When people are sick they wear a surgical mask.  This way, when they cough, sneeze, or breath their germs out into the world, it isn't getting on you or their hands where it could spread easily.  I love that it isn't weird at all.  Everyday I'll see at least one person walking around masked.

• You can buy decorative covers to put over your books.  People riding on trains tend to read a lot and they don't want everyone seeing exactly what they are reading.  It is a privacy thing.

• Women here are really into cutesy things.  Stuff that we would find too childish to still own as an adult.  Toys/stuffed animals hanging from their key chains/cellphones, winter hats with animal ears, backpacks with animal ears, etc.  It kind of makes things fun though.

Bowling

On Monday we hit up the local bowling alley to play a couple games.  Last time I was in Japan I had the game of my life, getting a 171!  I had high hopes for this time around.

Our usual goal is to at least break 100.  However, the first game didn't go well for either of us.  The screen shows Drew with a 99 and me with a 90.  It's an awful picture, but I had to put it up because this is the game that Drew won and he wouldn't be happy if I left it out.

Our second game was much better.  Drew with a 108 and me with a 138.  Even though it wasn't a 171, a 138 is still really good for me.

For dinner we tried a ramen restaurant that we had never been to before.  The ramen is cooked in a hot stone and it splatters all over the place when they pour in the broth.  They provide you with a paper shield to hold up while it simmers down.  After you mostly finish the vegetables and noodles, you then pour in the rice to soak up the remainder of the broth.  It was delicious, but so much food!

Ginza

On Sunday Drew and I headed to Ginza to wander around.  Well, actually our plan had been to go to the zoo, but when we arrived we saw a sign saying that the pandas were not on display because they had been removed for mating.  Sorry, but I'm not wasting my time if I can't see the pandas.  We all know that pandas are not the best at procreating, so I'm a little worried about how long this process will take.  Hopefully, the pandas will be back on display soon so I can see them before we leave in two months.

Before getting to Ginza, we stopped in at our favorite doner kebab joint.  The kebab man even lent me his hat for the picture.  There are no tables, so it is a messy experience, but totally worth it.

Ginza is the fancy part of Tokyo with all of the high-end shops. You can see Seiko in the background.  Armani, Gucci, etc. were all nearby.  Most of the time I feel too out of place to go in half the stores.

It had been a beautiful day, around 70 degrees and sunny.  Then all of a sudden this rolled in...

Everyone whipped out their masks.  We found out later that this wasn't a new wave of the Yellow Dust, just strong winds that blew around some of the Yellow Dust that had already blown in earlier that week.  Either way, I was ready to take shelter.

Yellow Dust

The Yellow Dust is upon us.  Yes, this is actually a thing and is referred to as "Asian Dust" in the wikipedia article, but is officially called Aeolian Dust.  During the spring, dust storms kick up dry soil in Mongolia and Northern China that is then carried by wind all the way over to Japan.  The reason it's a big problem is that the dust picks up pollutants from China before it heads this way.  It can be especially bad for people with asthma or respiratory problems.

I didn't even know this sort of thing existed, but I happened to stay inside on the afternoon that it started blowing over.  Drew had to travel to one of his schools by bike and relayed that our bikes were covered with a thin film of debris and that the dust kept getting in his eyes.  Yuck!

I'm not sure how often the dust storms will come through Japan this spring season, but I'm starting to think I should invest in a mask.

Homecoming

We've finally been given our move-out date, allowing us to plan our return.  Drew's last day of work will be May 18th.  The next day we will be meeting up with Drew's mom to enjoy a week of touring Kyoto and Tokyo.  The three of us have never been to Kyoto before, so we're excited!  Barring plane delays, we will be back in the States on May 26th.  It's nice to know when we'll see home again.

At the end of April, we'll be getting a visit from Kristen, my sorority sister/former roommate.  Yay!  So lots of fun things coming up!

Here's a quick peek at the progress I've made on Drew's hat.  This one may actually be worthy of a head someday.

Train Museum

Drew's been dying to go to the train museum in Saitama and we finally made it there on Monday.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but it actually had a very neat set-up.  The museum was filled with trains from different eras in Japanese history.

We were able to try out a few different seat styles.  The super old one was actually made from tatami mats.

Drew had a great time trying out the interactive features of the museum.

Playing with the brake system.

By far his favorite part was driving the train simulator.  The goal was to drive the train to the next stop and be able to stop in the right location at the station.  For never driving a train before, he did pretty well.  Only about 15 meters off the target.

The footage was of the actual train ride to the stations nearby.

On the way home we found a Krispy Kreme doughnut shop.  That was probably my favorite part of the day.

First Ride of the Season

This past weekend brought us more mild weather to enjoy.  Drew and I took our first leisurely bike ride of the new season down by the river.  It gave us a great view of the snow covered mountains off in the distance and the hope of warmer weather to come.  I actually saw that it should get into the high 60's this week.  Joy!

Drew's boss invited us to join his family in chowing down on some agemochi that they were planning to make that afternoon.  Agemochi is a Japanese snack food made by deep frying mochi (the sticky, pounded rice ball that I've mentioned before).  After frying, soy sauce is drizzled over top of the rice puffs.

Drew's boss had described them as being like cheese puffs, minus the cheese, but the texture of them reminded me more of bubble gum.  Like the Bubblicious gum that, as you chew, seems to grow inside your mouth.  That's exactly what this stuff did.  It got bigger and bigger, and was sort of a sticky, doughy, chewy thing that never seemed to go away.  I'll admit, it was hard work eating the stuff, but it was pretty good once you got used to it.  In my New Year's post, I believe I mentioned that eating mochi usually causes a few choking deaths each year among the elderly.  Now I totally understand.