Channeling Julie Andrews...
(yes, I know she's still alive)
Now that I've been here for several months, I thought I'd tell you about a few of my favorite things here in Japan. You may not get as big of a kick out of them as I do, but hey, this is my blog.
1. Not to poke fun of the Japanese, but sometimes their translations to English are funny. I like these sorts of things because it gives me a good brain workout. I've felt like my brain has been mush as of late (sleep deprivation!), so seeing these signs is a good thing. As Grandma always used to say, "don't let your mind wander."
Can you find the mistake?
2. I was having lunch with a Japanese friend, and after our meal, I asked her to go to a store with me. This store is always very crowded and has a line out the door. Now I know why. This dessert, which I very affectionately call the "poop dessert," is out of this world. It is a bun with a red bean center, and it is covered in this burnt brown sugar topping. Wowsers. Had my friend not explained it to me, I would never have ordered it. I am already sad when I think about moving back to the US and never having this again. Oh, and I think it's called "karinto." But I'll keep calling it poop until then! :)
3. No matter where you go, if you order food in Japan you will get these wet napkins with your meal. They're kind of like wet ones but without the alcohol content. I am hoarding these things because they're perfect with little kids. I feel like I'm turning into my grandma - she used to take sugar packets from restaurants. Wow, I'm getting old.
4. Living in a huge city means having all these conveniences at your fingertips. One thing I've tried recently is a foot massage. My friend and neighbor said that she and her husband went to this place on a whim and were not disappointed. I had a particularly tiring day last week, so I decided to treat myself. What a treat, indeed. This place, Queensway, is about 5 minutes from our apartment, and it's open practically all the time. The woman who worked on me had the strongest fingers in the world, and she told me (based on the condition of my feet) that I seem really tired. Yeah, thanks for pointing that out. But really, this was luxury.
5. Finally, one of my American friends pointed out this product to me. Do you know what it is? These are stickers that act as bug repellant. Rather than spray some "Bug Off" on your kid, you can put one of these stickers on his/her clothing, and the bugs should stay away. I don't know why this sort of thing is not sold in the US.
I'm sure I'll add more things to this list the longer we're here...stay tuned!
