It was an interesting day today. I felt pretty successful for getting all of the things I wanted to do around the house (except laundry and skype) done around 11:00 before leaving for the day. When I told okaasan I wanted to get going, she told me it was not a good thing to stick around the house all day, so I guess she was supporting me. She also gave me advice about taking a taxi or walking home if I missed the last train. I think otousan has already left for the hospital, so that’s probably why she didn’t offer to pick me up if I missed my last train (she doesn’t feel safe driving at night).
After leaving, my first stop was Osu. It was the big end-of-the-month flea market, so there were tons of stands in front of the shrine mostly selling old kimonos and Japanese “antiques.” There were a few (but more than usual) gaijin in the market, which made me kind of uncomfortable, surprisingly. I feel like I get lumped into the stereotypes from the Japanese perspective when there are other foreigners around. One time, a clerk spoke to me in English, though I was speaking to her in Japanese. I always feel kind of weird when that happens because I feel like I’m failing so badly the clerk thinks they have to speak English to me. Anyway, I had to keep myself from buying lots of textiles products by finding their flaws, because I was really interested in all the kimono.
As usual, I didn’t buy anything but foods at Osu. I did, however, find the one small, secluded street of China town. It’s like a covered ally which also opens onto the arcade and other than a small supermarket, rather uninteresting.
After Osu, I went to Nagoya station to explore the Meitetsu mall, but since everything was designer-labeled (I saw Jimmy Chuu’s, which are really boring, if you ask me) I couldn’t afford anything and soon lost interest. My solution was to go to Sakae. That wasn’t very successful either, because all I found was the design building. I must admit, it’s a really interesting, 20-ish story building, but if you’re not shopping at the Loft (I guess it’s like Ikea, maybe) it seems pretty empty. The Loft is kind of cool because you can find all sorts of trendy, gadget-y household supplies/appliances, but since I won’t be stocking a house in Japan, I really have no use for the clocks, lamps, plants, linens, dish ware, and other things they sell. In the end, I decided to ride the numerous escalators until I got to the seventh floor, where there was a bridge in the middle of the building where I could take interesting (or so I thought) pictures. I ran out of time soon after, so I made my way back to the Sakae station.
I was worried for a bit about getting lost on the way back, but by chance, I found a stairway that seemed to lead into the ground and recognized the kanji for the chikatetsu. I had to walk for a while through the underground mall, but I eventually came upon the subway itself, and met my friends at Rokubanchoeki to walk to Mike’s host parents’ sushia.
There, we had our monthly all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-drink, all-you-can-sing evening. It was just the two Annas, Mikes, and myself besides the Japanese guests. Everyone seemed to have tuned down the drinking this time, but we still had a ton of fun singing (at times horribly) Japanese and English songs. I got a lot of compliments for the Nakashima Mika and Blue Hearts songs. :D Mike tried to get me to eat a type of shellfish sushi, but I was reluctant to eat uncooked shellfish. I agreed to eat it if Mike ate half first, but he ended up going to the bathroom to spit it out. I tried to bite into the second half, but being physically unable to do so, didn’t bother to try to eat it. I’m still wondering why people eat it.
Afterward, Anna and I walked back to the station to go home. I was able to catch my last train (though I had to wait quite a bit for it) and I called my host mom to let her know (as well as let her know she didn’t need to wait). On the train home, there were two Japanese guys with leather coats (the kind I really want to buy) and guitar cases. I guess the band has to catch the last train too...
At home, okaasan seemed kind of busy with paperwork (and not too troubled by my return). I put the eclair I had bought (but not had the chance to eat) in the fridge and went up to bed without much conversation.
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