The Food ...

Let me preface this by saying that I am not starving. There's a wide variety of food here. Some that I love - some that I hate. Most things I try fall somewhere in the middle.

I do my fair share of eating out and the occasional eating in. I've found some things I'm good at cooking and some typical American snacks - Oreos, Ritz crackers, Haagen Dazs - that help curb the craving for food from home. And thanks to some of my important people I have snacks from home that I'm trying desperately to save for those homesick emergencies (which I haven't really had yet... although I have an intense craving for football). :)

I've managed to snap a few shots of school lunch, restaurant food, or something I've managed to cook up. I try very hard not to be offensive or insensitive so believe me there is a lot more that I wish I had pictures of. I'm sure my photo collection of 'interesting food' will continue to prosper.

Some restaurant food:

Sunday Sun: A restaurant about a block from my apartment. Closely resembling a Perkins (& open 24 hours with a picture menu!)

The infamous corn & mayo pizza from the local cafe Gusto. It's actually not that bad :)

Potatoes, sausage & cheese. Also from Gusto.

Many restaurants have something like a display window out front with plastic replicas of the food inside. Quite handy.

Official definition: Takoyaki (たこ焼き or 蛸焼) (literally fried or baked octopus) is a popular Japanese dumpling made of batter, diced octopus, tempura scraps (tenkasu), pickled ginger, konnyaku, and green onion, topped with okonomiyaki sauce, green laver, mayonnaise, and katsuobushi (fish shavings), originated in Osaka.

We dissected the takoyaki and the inside looked as disgusting as it tasted (personal opinion!).


Okonomiyaki. Also called Japanese pancakes. I ordered mine with beef and cheese & the smother it with mayonnaise and 'sweet sauce'. It's actually not bad.


Some bread I picked up from a cafe. On the right is milk bread (a sweet, sticky bread) & on the left is a sandwich thingy with tuna and tomatoes.


The delivery vehicles. Most restaurants deliver via moped. I'm not cool enough to be able to call & order ... yet. :)


Some ichiba (market) food:

It's odd taking pictures in the grocery store without people staring. I only take pictures when I'm 100% sure no one is looking. So far I've only got a couple shots.

In case you were hungry for some squid. I'm definitely not.


Watermelon - both red & yellow. I haven't tried it ... I'm kind of afraid.



A classic favorite ... never mind the Japanese writing - they taste the same!

These are kind of like garden flavored pretzel sticks.

7-up! We also have Coke, Diet Coke, Pepsi, Mt. Dew, etc. (Sorry Deb, no Dr. Pepper)

Some house food:

Here's what I have in my house. I can't believe I'm showing pictures of my fridge - I'd never do this at home!

The inside of my refrigerator. Milk, apply juice, soy sauce, cheese, Italian dressing, bacon bits, mushrooms, etc.

Some sauces & spices - soy sauces, jams (carrot & pumpkin), garlic & oregano.

Some school food:

Hmm ... mystery lunch - just like school at home!

Yet another day of food - I ate the rice! The drink is tea, not my favorite but I'm getting used to it.
My daily deal. Water (as opposed to tea), white rice, tomatoes, mystery noodles, & mystery seafood. I think this was a crab meat or something of the sorts - I ate it & it was ok. I can't eat the noodles yet though. I keep trying.

School snack. I really don't know what it was, but it tasted good around 3:00pm after mystery lunch.

Let me remind you that I am NOT starving. I just wanted to add a little insight into the world of food over here in Japan.

much love,

-tara-

xoxo

The Biota ...

I've been out & about, wandering around (in the heat, obviously) and I have been noticing the flora in the area. Most of the landscape is green and brown - a lot of trees, bushes, shrubs, what have you. Every once in a while you will see flowers or colored plants that really stand out. They're quite beautiful. I've taken to photographing them when it isn't awkward or too touristy.
My grandpa might be proud - than again maybe not - my photos are amateur.

These trees look like the trees that used to be in my front yard when I was little.
There's no escaping the sun.
The color in these trees was beautiful. A nice addition to the typically green & brown scenery.

Some flowers growing off of the street.

The underside of a strange tree...

The evergreens all grow in this strange spiral pattern.
I don't know if they grow like this naturally or if they are pruned regularly - I'll have to inquire.
The weeping willows in Kurashiki remind me of home.

I might invest in a nice camera while I'm here and attempt to take better pictures. Stay tuned.
much love
-tara-
xoxo

The Terrifying Rice Fields (c'ntd)...

I managed to snap a photo to more accurately describe what I mean when I say there are bikes tipped over in the rice fields.

Honestly - what happened here? Where are the people? Why did they leave their bike? It's been there for days!! My only theory is that they are still among the rice ... which is why I am terrified of rice fields.

much love,

-tara-

xoxo

The Rice...

Rice. The root of all things in Japan. Everyday I eat rice. Rice cakes, rice flour, rice vinegar, mochi rice (small rice balls served with sauce, sometimes), spaghetti with rice instead of noodles, rice in soup, rice for breakfast, rice for lunch, rice for dinner. We even drink rice wine, aka sake. Once upon a time rice was even used as currency in Japan! Rice is important is an understatement. Rice has fundamental importance to the country and the culture.

A close up of the rice plant.
Rice fields pop up everywhere. Wait, let me rephrase that: Rice patches pop up everywhere. Everyone says rice fields & I think to myself, "That is nothing close to a field." At home fields are acres, that as-far-as-the-eye-can-see type. Here some of the areas are maybe 100 square feet! I call them patches. I'm doing my best to learn about rice, besides knowing that it's high in carbs (which is all I eat here!).

Before the rice is planted the fields are dried on & dried up. Similar to this small field, I mean patch. See how steep the edges are!!

The rice kind of resembles corn in the fact that it is intricately planted in rows allowing you to see the definition. (That thing in the right corner is the ramp you use to get into the field.)

When I first got here the rice was just beginning to grow and now everyday it grows taller and taller. I can imagine this is what people think about the corn back home. Knee-high by the 4th of July comes to mind. :) I don't really know exactly how tall the rice is because it grows randomly throughout the neighborhood in these areas that resemble trenches. All of a sudden the sidewalk just drops off about three feet into the rice field and there is usually a ramp going down into the field, excuse me - patch. The fact of the matter is that it's really quite terrifying when you are riding your bike passed. There are no guardrails, no fence, nothing. Sometimes I get so nervous that I'm going to fall into the rice field of, I can only assume, mud, insects, snakes, and all that is disgusting, that I ride my bike on the complete opposite side of the sidewalk. Once I saw a bike that had tipped over into the rice field - I'm convinced that person is probably missing.

I'm not exaggerating about the depth of the fields.

It's a long way down. I can't believe I got close enough to take this picture. I'm somewhat terrified of these things.

The harvest is coming soon. I'm going to see if I can watch someone or help out a farmer, if that's what they're called, to learn more about the crop. My interest is somewhat strange considering at home I know nothing about corn and really don't care to.

I'll keep you posted.

much love

-tara-

xoxo

The Doctor ...

So I haven't been sleeping very well since I've been here. Just call me an insomniac. At first I blamed jet lag, but after five weeks, and countless restless nights, I decided to ask Naoko about going to the doctor. I was nervous

I told Naoko my symptoms and she agreed that I should definitely go to the hospital. I told her I didn't need to go to the hospital, just the doctor, but here they say hospital and they mean doctor's office. Anyway, she said she would take me the very next day. I inquired about needing an appointment and she assured me that you did not need one. "You maybe wait one half or one hour, but no appointment necessary." (-Naoko) My next question was how much it was going to cost. I know how much a doctor's visit and a prescription sleep aide would be at home and I was getting nervous. I know I have insurance, but that doesn't always mean a lot back home. Naoko assured me that it would be, "maybe cheap. Much cheaper than America." I agreed to go, although still a skeptic.

Naoko picked me up at 5:30 and we drove to a small doctors office not far from my house. The office was open until 6:30. When we walked in we had to remove our shoes (as you do at most doctor's offices, restaurants, people's homes, schools, etc.) and we noticed that there wasn't anyone in the waiting room. Naoko said, "maybe special occasion". We approached the counter and I gave the receptionist my insurance card. She didn't give me any long, annoying paperwork or ask me any extensive questions that would require me calling my mother. She just said, "Please wait". We waited about five minutes and a nurse, dressed in all white with one of those paper-like nurses hats with a red cross, not in a typical nurse frock with colored dogs like at home, escorted us to a bench outside the examination room. Naoko told me that the doctor might, "ask you some question, watch you, or give you medical examination" so I was prepared. The door opened and a different nurse escorted us inside.

The office was small and the doctor was sitting at a desk, wearing the typical doctor get-up. There were three nurses dressed alike standing behind him and I was asked to sit on a chair next to the desk. The doctor was looking at some papers and writing some notes and Naoko explained to him my condition. He spoke some English and said, "You have stress?" I said not more than usually and he asked when I have trouble (falling asleep or waking up after I have been sleeping) and I responded appropriately. He spoke to Naoko and she translated. He motioned to one of the nurses and within two seconds the three of them were helping to put a cuff on my arm to take my blood pressure. Afterwards they returned to their stand-still position.

Finally he prescribed a medication and explained that he did not want me to form a habit so I was to take it for five days, skip a day, take for three days, skip a day, etc. Then he said if I do not see an improvement to come back and he would test further. We were then escorted out of the room and back to the waiting room. It took all of about five minutes. I was very impressed.

We waiting again for less than five minutes and we were called to the counter where I picked up my prescription (no pharmacy needed) and began to sweat about the bill. I had brought 20,000 yen because I knew that you always pay in cash. I don't know if you get billed for anything around here - I always see people pay right then and there. My blood pressure was rising (where were those nurses) as I waited for the receptionist to fill out my receipt and when she handed it over I almost fainted. My total bill, for the doctor's visit & the medication, was 1.130 yen. That is approximately $10.00. Yes, that's right, ten dollars!

The doctor's office was better than I could have expected. There wasn't any waiting - the doctor got straight to the point, no pointless, time-wasting testing, x-rays, or paperwork - I picked up my medication there without leaving - and it was only TEN DOLLARS! Amazing.

I don't know why you might want to see my medication, but here's the prescription packet and the medication I'm taking (Lendormin D - or something of the sorts).

Let's hope that it works. I need sleep!!

much love,

-tara-

xoxo

The Arcade ...

Last Saturday Amanda & I took the train to the downtown Okayama area to meet some people at the fountain. This area of Japan is known for it's peaches & the fountain is shaped like a peach. It is also the hot spot. It's where we all typically meet before venturing on.

We met there again at 6:30 last Saturday night to go out to a Thai restaurant. We walked for about five miles (ok slight exaggeration - it was more like a mile) until we came to the most interesting place. I was told it was a restaurant but I remember thinking, 'It can't possibly be. There is a huge dog chained up outside the door, excuse me - the opening in the wall, and there is nothing even close to resembling a restaurant. No cash register, no employees, no non-smoking section, no bright lights, nothing.' We waited outside for a few minutes and then we all filed in, removed our shoes, & up the steepest set of stairs I've ever climbed. The kind where you have to turn your foot sideways to fit it entirely on the step. Once we reach the top we enter the single upstairs room & it looks like someone's apartment. There's a long table where all 8 of us can fit, minus chairs plus beanbags and pillows. The lights are turned way down & there is a large hookah on the shelf, a Buddha on an end table, and eccentrically colored fabric draped everywhere. It looks like a hippie's apartment.

This is my friend Melissa and a new friend Theresa (both from New York).

There was a menu (in Japanese, of course). One of the people with us speaks Japanese so we lucked out. We order a few main dishes to share, I have some orange/cherry drink, and we laugh a lot. It was definitely an experience. I kept thinking, 'this would never fly in America', but it was really cool. So cool, I think I'll go back. Oh yea, the food was good too. :)

Ashley and myself - being silly obviously (while sitting on the floor).

We left to go back to the station to meet some more people (at the fountain, of course). Halfway through the walk we saw a small music set up on the corner. We stopped and listen and then continued on. There are often people playing music outside the train stations or on the corners, but it is illegal for them to accept money (to my understanding), which means that these people play for sheer enjoyment. They are usually very good and that makes me want to give them more money than I normally would at home.

We exchange some people and then head to a place called Joypolis. I have no idea what this is. We walk (another five miles - ok I'm exaggerating again) and eventually end up in front of this large multi-story building with a lot of bright lights. We venture in on the first floor and it is a large arcade. At first I thought it was silly. I haven't been to an arcade since going to Aladdin's Castle in high school, unless of course you count skeeball at Arnold's Park. I don't think that counts though. This arcade was amazing. It has a lot of 'claw machines' with some serious prizes, life-sized racing cars, & high tech graphic games. Aladdin's Castle has nothing on this arcade.

In the few hours we spent there we played some games - Mario Kart, air hockey, a drumming game and Amanda played some weird virtual dog game.

A strange sign on a door inside the arcade. I was afraid. :)

I was very confused by the Murder Lodge inside the arcade. I didn't scope it out. It was strange.

Some pictures of the inside of the arcade. The games were huge, as were the prizes.

This game was the champion of all games. 3 screens!!

A little Jurassic Park action.

Our Mario Kart game! We all raced against each other. You sit in the machine, put in your 100 yen (less than a dollar!!) and select your character. Then the machine takes your picture & puts it on your character & you are ready to race!

Claire & I were very serious about the race. Taylor (in the background) thought it was hilarious.

Amanda played this strange children's dog game. It was like a virtual dog that you had to scratch all the way to the finish line, or something. If you kept the dog happy, at the end a puppy magically appeared. It was definitely interesting.

Amanda and her dog game:

Scratching away.

A children's game - Tokyo Bus Driver, or something. I didn't play - I just took the picture.

We also came across this awesome drumming game. It's like Guitar Hero, only with a drum. I didn't play but my friends did. I sat down and strummed a little tune on the ukulele Guitar Hero-like game.

Melissa & Dennis getting very serious about drumming.

Dennis was so serious, he injured his hand!! Maybe someone will be able to defeat him next week now that he is injured!

After the games we decided to check out the 'Sega Studio' section. This huge section was all photo booths!! It was rather amazing. You could even rent costumes, wigs, & accessories. We crammed all eight of us into a booth & took multiple shots - all hilarious. Then when you are finished you have two minutes to edit your photos. You can add graphics, borders, colors, text, anything and everything. Then the machine prints you a page of all of your shots & you can go cut them up and distribute. I never would have thought a night at the arcade would be so much fun.

I love this sign. Apparently it is ok for a woman or any combination of people to go in the booth, but NOT a man alone. Interesting.

One of our many pictures. In the back row (L-R) you have Taylor, Daniel, Claire, me & Amanda. In the front row (L-R) you have Xiao, Dennis & Melissa.

The evening was eventful. I think Amanda and I might be addicted to photo booths now. I will continue to post our pictures. :)

much love,

-tara-

xoxo