Day 17: The Day I Actually Became Sick of Food...

I will admit, all the eating I did n this day did me in. I felt pretty sick for a few days after and am just now getting over it.

Friday, around lunchtime, I was feeling adventurous and decided to go out and eat ramen for lunch. Going out and doing things really helps combat the homesickness. I went to a rather popular ramen place nearby and ordered the wontonmen, ramen that has thin wontons in it. It was pretty good, and everyone was nice to me there too! No one looked at me funny when I brought out my big camera. The ramen noodles were thin (Hakata-style?) and tasty! The soup was fatty and a bit spicy, but it was all right. I finished quickly and walked to a pastry shop in the opposite direction from the house! I ordered three goodies: a chocolate and nuts cake slice, a green tea macaron, and a strawberry tart. After I chatted with Andrew for a bit (yay!) I took some pictures of the chocolate cake and macaron for my book project. I ate both, and felt a bit sick, but I shrugged it off. Then, after relaxing for a bit, I was told that we were going out to Yakitori (grilled chicken parts on skewers)!
We ended up waiting for an hour since we were such a large party (I'm staying with a big family!) and when we finally were seated, we were all so hungry! We ordered a ton of food!
I got an apricot sake drink, since I am of age in Japan, and it was very tasty and sweet! I ate so much! There was chicken skin (all of this on skewers by the way), asparagus and pork, bacon and mochi, chicken wings, salad, shio ramen, and so much more!
For some reason, I started feeling overwhelmed and kind of sick. I think the food in Japan is too rich; there is a lot of fat in dishes, which makes them heavy. Add in the hot and humid weather, and you get an Ophelia with a queasy stomach! I was so tired, and I was also starting my "womanly times" if you get what I mean, which made me feel so much worse.
I am taking a break from ramen right now....my stomach is rebelling against heavy food. I have been eating lightly because I want to be healthy and feel good in this weather. It was a fun day, but full of food! XD Crazy times!

Day 16: Shopping Fun!

I was happy to spend Thursday afternoon shopping with Mari! She took time off work to hang out with me and it was fun! We first shopped for shoes in Namba, and we both got a cute pair of sandals~! :) Then we drove to Umeda to go to Kiddyland, an underground shopping area with tons of stores full of cute things, haha~ I found some awesome Mameshiba stuff! It was just fun to walk around and be out~ :) I even found my mom a cute gift, which made me happy. Mari and I were so exhausted after shopping, but it was a good kind of tired. :) We didn't have time to go to a popular store called Loft, so we are going this weekend!

That cream puff pictured above was so delicious! The cream was light and vanilla-flavored; I really enjoyed it! We were so hungry afterwards of course! ;)

Anyway, it was a fun shoping day! Thank you Mari for spending the day with me! :D

Day 15: Osaka Aquarium Adventure!

I had wanted to go to the Osaka Aquarium for a long time! Known as the Kaiyukan, it is located at the Osaka Port next to the ocean! I was really looking forward to seeing the ocean and going on an adventure!
The Kaiyukan is a wonderfully easy place to walk around. I felt so much freedom as I looked at the animals; all the aquariums I'd been to in California were always so crowded and small. But, at this one there seemed to be a lot of room to enjoy the animals.
The fish were cool! There were many different kinds! I loved the cute otters; they were so playful! The Kapibara (picture at top) was so statuesque and awesome. XD The seals were so pretty and smooth when they swam. The crabs were soooo scary! >.<
I really enjoyed seeing the special Japanese whale shark! So cute and chill~ There were finless porpoises too, and those were so pretty and white!
The Kaiyukan seemed like a great place for families and couples. Yes, I went by myself and it was a little lonely. But. I kept thinking about how I want to go with Andrew someday and that helped me cheer up a bit. I did some shopping for gifts in the Kaiyukan and in the mall across the way. I found a Studio Ghibli store! YAY! I got some cute special things~
I took the train to Senri-Chuo when I was done and walked around there for a while. I was starting to get sick of all the shops and the constant shopping though....too much! Mari came and picked me up when she was done with work and I was glad, since I was exhausted. I am so happy I got to be near the ocean again! :) ALso, more cookies and green tea ice cream doesn't hurt! ;)

Day 14: Feeling a bit homesick...

Tuesday was a hard day. I was not feeling well and I was still a bit homesick for school and all my loved ones. Mari was kind enough to bring me to her volunteer work to help out so I wouldn't feel bummed at home. It was a hot day and I was so sleepy in the stuffy office. Everyone there was really nice; they could probably see that I was shy!
The office was for an organization in Minoh known as MOFGA. I forgot what it stands for, but I know it has something to do with helping international people in Mino. I helped translate and then typed up a flyer. It was nice to have something to do!
We had goodies from a tiny bakery down the street for lunch. :) It was a humble shop, so that was fun!
All in all, a hot, humid, homesick, humble kind of day~! (so many "h" words, lol)

Day 13: Taco Night!

I was still feeling a bit down about the night before, but I tried to cheer up. Not much went on during the day....just taking it easy. I was starting to miss school, Andrew, and my family quite a bit so I tried to keep myself busy. I helped around the house, started cooking the taco meat, and went shopping with Mari to finish getting the ingredients we needed! I was so happy to be cooking for the family; the girls were really craving tacos and I was glad to be able to make something they liked and wanted. :) The sour cream was a bit funky...it tasted okay but was hard like butter! We also got some guacamole chips and those went fast! The meat wasn't spicy, but was very comforting! I was proud of myself for being able to cook a meal that was to feed about 7 people! XD

Day 12: An Interesting Dinner.....

Most of my experiences in Japan up to this point were very positive, but some have been a bit.....interesting.
I was invited to an Italian restaurant, called Kitchen Tatsuhiro, by a student of my host-mother (who is an english teacher) and there were many people there I didn't know. I felt a little out of place and everyone treated me differently because I wasn't super fluent in Japanese. The restaurant itself was very quaint and cool; lots of vintage Italian movie posters and wine bottles were everywhere. We were served community style and had different courses. First course was a delightful hors d'œuvres and I looked forward to the rest of the meal. Sadly, none of the other courses save dessert were very good. The pizza was a cracker covered in cheese and some sauce, with halved cherry tomatoes on top. The first pasta was a bolognese sauce that lacked much taste, and the second pasta was a clam pasta that also lacked any taste. The dessert was tiramisu, and was so delicious! I really enjoyed it; it was so light and creamy! It was my first time eating tiramisu and it was a good one!

However, I felt like a token American and everyone kept asking me questions, like "are you okay with soy sauce?" Are chopsticks difficult for you?" Are you in culture shock?" and the like. I was okay with answering those, but then one man asked if I was in culture shock, to which I replied no, and then asked me if I am surprised that people in Japan don't lick their plates! He then started to pretend to lick his plate and everyone laughed. I was in shock. Perhaps I am being a little sensitive, but I found it rude. The conversation left me feeling lonely and very much like an outsider. It was very nice of Toyoko-san to invite me to dinner, but it didn't go as I had thought it would. I have to admit I was dissappointed with the experience. There were some nice girls there though, including one who had gone to college at SF State; she kept telling me how much she missed SF. I suppose Japanese people have a skewed image of Americans, but I won't let that bring me down!

Day 11: Kimono, New Friends, and Mister Donuts!

Saturday was a bigger adventure than I thought it would be! :) I was a little nervous but excited to go the Kimono event. It was held at the Higashi library and as I walked in there was a little ceramics sale going on! I couldn't stop to look at that time because I wanted to be on time for the Kimono event. When I got there, I was given a number (9) and went to sit down on the Tatami floor. It hurt my legs to kneel for so long! At first I was shy because I didn't know anyone; most of the international students were from Osaka University. I ended up making friends with two girls, one from America and one from Romania! They were so nice and I hope to hang out with them soon! :)

Some of the ladies who were helping out with the event spoke to me in English and Japanese; some thought I only spoke English and treated me a bit differently. It was okay though; everyone was nice. I was just feeling a bit out of it since I didn't know anyone.

I thought the kimono I chose was so pretty! I also chose a pretty pink obi and was so happy to be vested in such lovely pink finery~ The kimono felt tight, but that is because I have curves! I realized that perhaps kimono aren;t meant for women with curves, haha! :D Anyway, it was an interesting experience and I am glad I met some nice people! My new friends and I stayed talking for a long while after the event was over, which was very fun for me. :) It was a beautiful day too, so it felt good! When we left the basement room where it was held, we saw a ceramics sale going on near the front entrance of the library. It was fun to look at the pieces and explain some aspects of ceramics to Ashlyn. :) We stayed looking there for a while, and then she bought some pretty pieces!

After we talked outside for a while, we parted ways and I began my walk home. I thought it was going to be a terribly long walk, but it wasn't at all! I really enjoyed it; the day was beautiful and I felt like I had learned something. I felt inspired, so I started my book for the grant project with a scene from the kimono event. :) I was starting to get hungry on my walk home; I knew I was going to pass a Mister Donuts so I decided to go in there and see what they had!

It was set up like most bakeries-- you pick up a tray and tongs and choose what items you want. I chose a honey old-fashioned, a match ring donut, and a puff pastry filled with a curry sausage! XD Everything was delicious! I actually really want to go back, haha! I was proud of myself for being able to speak and understand the man behind the counter. I ate all three there since I was so hungry. Then, when I was done, I went bakc on my way. When I made it back home, I was tired but proud of myself. I couldn't wait to see the pics of me in the kimono and I couldn't wait to share my day with Andrew! :)