January 28

It was not a very eventful day today. Class was very short, I had an ice cream cone (so much better than in the US) for lunch, and picked up some soap at Valore before riding the chikatetsu home. I did find a plant for okaasan though before I returned. I stopped in a flower shop coming back from Valore. The ojiisan working there saw me looking at the orchid and told me the flowers were on their way out, so he was going to cut them off for me. I told him I was fine though. I couldn’t let him cut them while they were still pretty. I picked out a small plant with really ruffly leaves and ruffly (pink) flowers for okaasan. ojiisan wrapped it in pink paper with a pink ribbon and a (second) pink bow. After I paid and started my trip home, I began to think the plant was too common and not particularly special for okaasan. I’m hoping I made the right decision in buying it for her.

There was a porsche coming down the road that I cross to get to my neighborhood. After I crossed, the driver revved it like crazy. It was kind of weird though, because it sounded bad (not “awesome,” the other bad). There was some massive power (or maybe just noise) in the car, but it didn’t sound good and for all the noise, it wasn’t going that fast. It was nice though to hear a car rev for a change.

I got my bank book today. Japanese banks issue a bank book upon opening an account. I’m guessing it’s the same as the bank books my math instructor and my grandmother talked about having when they were younger. Japan is so technologically far behind and ahead at the same time.... Anyway, mine has pumpkins on it (it is Japan, after all). I’m kind of reluctant to do anything at my bank since every freaking thing is in Japanese (of course) and it is an issue of money. Luckily, I’m pretty much set for quite a bit. It may turn out to be easiest (and cheapest) to work with postal money orders for all of my US funds since it is service charge-free once it gets to Japan and wire transfers to Japanese accounts are super-expensive. Japan will charge you at any chance they get (even for using an ATM on a Saturday). However, if you can work the system (which I am still not very good at), you can avoid a lot of it. Japan is hard....

At dinner today, it was only okaasan and I. I didn't get an explanation, but I was told otousan would not be dining with us. Okaasan made croquets, gohan (mmm), avocado salad, and some kind of greens as soup. I am now officially addicted to (potato) croquets.