Damn the Japanese and their tiny feet!

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Another sleep in, though not as long as yesterdays. Wrote a lesson plan for my senior Juku students for Tuesday evening, my other Juku students will do the Feelings worksheet.

After a mismatched lunch of rice and corn cup-a-soup, I headed out to catch the bus into the city. Had a mild freak out when the timetable said there was only one bus coming every 1.5hours, but that must have been another bus. I was assured when an old lady started waiting with me for the bus.

370yen into the city, and I had a wander around the 109 Shopping Centre. My heart ached and my very soul was crying looking at the wonderful shoes. They were so beautiful and original, and there really was something for everyone! The wedges were in block colours, as well as floral, and 70s colour streaks, the peep toes came in cream and black, soft pink, and sparkly. Back home, there is usually only one style in, so if floral wedges are in and you want block colours, well, you’ve got no hope. The prices upset me also, so I don’t have a clear idea, but most shoes were around 4,000-5,000yen, (AUD$45-60). Damn the Japanese and their tiny feet! Damn them! It is no doubt a good thing though, because there were so many shoes that I was totally and utterly in love with, and would have given a very good home to, and next thing I would know, there would be no room left in my apartment, and I would be out on the street begging for food, (or at the very least stealing my students’ lunches!).

I wandered around a couple of the shopping centres, bought a pink water filter from Tokyu Hands for 2,480yen. But they didn’t have a toaster! I went to an electronic store, but the only toaster they had was 10,000yen! Screw that! It may have been red and shiny, but my red and shiny toaster back home was $12 from Kmart! I also tried to get a pillow, but the cheapest was 5,000yen, so I figure I’ll buy a big stuffed toy instead (most of them are around 3,000yen). But that can wait till after pay day. I did buy five Japanese language text books from Maruzen (the largest book store I have ever seen!), for 9,345yen (ouch!). I went to the foreign food shop to see if I could get some real coffee, but they didn’t have any. They had plenty of English teas though, and Moet Champagne (one bottle is more than my weekly food budget). Couldn’t leave without purchasing another apple ring from Cocofrans for 170yen, and bought another to drop off at Dominique’s house, because if drugs can’t cure her sickness, then apple rings can! By the time I got home I had spent nearly four hours out.

Outside each shopping centre are little machines that clip plastic bags onto your umbrellas so you don’t drip and traipse water around the centre. Oh Japanese, you’re just so efficient!

I thought I was the only person on the bus on the way home, yet the driver still announced every stop for me. As I was exiting the bus, a Japanese girl appeared out of nowhere and pushed past me off the bus. She had a card and not change, so she just reached over me to swipe her card, and made sure to bump me on her way out. Very strange.

Bought a chicken fillet and gyoza for dinner, and cooked up some rice to go with it.

Now to get stuck into my kanji study! I will be a kanji master in no time!

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