(Day 15) Ocean Life is Not for Me

Getting used to sleeping on the floor has been slightly more difficult than I imagined. Japanese-style bedding is a thick mattress on the floor called a futon and it does not quite compare to a soft, plushy bed. It will be fine though, because I am determined to do what I have to to be like the Japanese. You know the saying…”When in Rome…”

We awoke this morning to a sunny sky and a warm breeze. Summer x2? I’m convinced, yes.


My tatami-floored bedroom in my apartment at the Suzuki’s.

Since we woke up a bit late, it was nearly lunchtime when we were ready. For lunch that day, we made takoyaki! Takoyaki translated is “grilled octopus”, but I call it octopus balls.


Here’s Maya, showing us how it’s done.




Maya’s Mother is a takoyaki master. Uwaaaaaa.




Just add some takoyaki sauce, katsuobushi, nori, and voila! The octopus was really chewy.


A delicious purple yammy thing.



After lunch, Mother and I gathered up her things and made our way to Tokyo station where I showed her to the Narita Express train and bid her safe travels to both the airport and beyond. While she looked sad to be leaving me behind, she was relieved to be going home. I think this trip was something we’ll both look back on fondly for the rest of our lives. That’s great, I think. I, however, still have two glorious weeks to whoop it up, so I’d best get started. Before heading to my first stop as a solo traveler, I decided to hit up the restroom and I was bewildered by the discoveries found therein.


What kind of charms go here? (:-o)

That afternoon, I decided I would head to nearby Ginza to explore the luxury wares peddled there. With my Vivienne Westwood bag in tow and loads of fake hair strapped to my head, I was set to blend in with the crowds of Japanese girls no matter what.


The very pretty-in-pink Mikimoto Pearl store.








Ick! What is this blurry mass I present before you!? Sorry…I guess my hand wasn’t the steadiest that day so my pictures came back a bit blurry. I didn’t have anything to drink, I swear.


You don’t have to say “Hankyu” for taking this picture, Erin. *snicker*

I returned to Urawa a party of one. I got a bit lost finding my way home since I hadn’t walked it alone before, but thankfully I have an excellent acumen for direction and was back in time for dinner. Thankfully I had hung a shirt out on my balcony in the morning so I was sure that yes, this was my house.

Dinner that night was exceptional – a linguini with baby clams and bacon.



Also, these things:



I don’t usually eat seafood on such a regular basis, but this more due to preference than anything else. As I will find out tomorrow, perhaps preference is now no longer an option. Oy. But for today, I will only a acquire a small itch later in the evening on my face.


Chobi, hoping I’ll give him something to eat since I am the newbie and the weakest link. Chuu! So cute. (Yes, you heard that right.)

After dinner, there was a TV show I was eager to watch and had been looking forward to for months – the Hana Kimi special. I watched this show (subtitled) as it aired in the summer of 2007 and they were reuniting the cast for a one-off special! I don’t know if it ever occurred to me that I wouldn’t really be able to understand it…


Brooding Sano (Oguri Shun – chuu!) and goofy Nakatsu (Ikuta Toma).


Hee hee


Is there something wrong with this picture? Actually, no.


I’ll translate: “Watch it there buddy; your hands were on my girlfriend who is actually pretending to be a guy so she could get into our all-boys school and she hasn’t officially been exposed yet for a girl so you can’t make her/him take her/his shirt off to go swimming because she has things that we don’t have.”


Chobi and I talked about the show for a bit during commercial breaks.


Sano, brooding again while talking to the “American” (played by a Japanese person in a blonde wig).


Oooh! The “romantic scene” (seriously) where Sano has to save his girlfriend who is pretending to be a guy and she can’t swim so she kind of drowns a bit and he has to give her mouth-to-mouth and everyone bugs him because they think he gave mouth-to-mouth to a guy. I guess this show isn’t so hard to understand after all.




The girl who pretends to be a boy (played by Horikita Maki)…this would only work in Japan with their effeminate men.




I think he’s cute-ish (Mizushima Hiro).

While Mother is long on her way, I turn in for the night awaiting tomorrow’s new adventures – Maya and I are heading south-west of Tokyo to Japan’s second-largest city, Yokohama. With anticipation, I sleep.