Our Neighbourhood Smells Like Fruit-Loops Today

That is all.

Lunch

I was feeling extremely hungry today, as I went home sick from work yesterday, and was unable to really eat anything for the rest of the day. We met up with some coworkers at this fantastic restaurant that does salads, pasta, sandwiches, etc, but in a western style and western portions (the burgers are MONSTROUS!). Now, we've mentioned how pet friendly Japan is, and Laura even remarked today how the majority of dogs here (even big dogs like golden labs) are wearing some article of clothing. So we get to the cafe and there are people outside with their dogs (including an adorable beagle) - not so odd. As we are scanning the menu, Laura notices a DOG MENU. Here, at a reduced price, you could buy things like boiled chicken for your kindly canine. There are of course restaurants in N. America that do this as well, but as we talked about this with our friends, we got the distinct impression that while this sort of service is still a bit odd and something that people would take notice of back home, it's not even worth a second glance in Japan (or the Kanto area at least). Below is a pic of the Dogs' choices, along with my rather loose translation.



Boiled Chicken Plate
Milk Cookie Plate (Milk Bone?)

The next three are in Hiragana, and while I can read it, my dictionary is rather limited.

Sorry for the late post. We had a conference in Shinjuku (Tokyo) that we all went to (all the teachers). Unfortunately, it was mostly a waste of time, and more importantly, a waste of our one day off a week. That said, we did go for margaritas afterward, and I picked up some comics at Tokyo's largest English bookstore. The thing that made the conference so disappointing is it was billed as a chance to talk with the authors of our kids' books and get a better handle on how to use them. Instead, it turned out to be a commercial for their newer books. Annoying to say the least. We only have two more weeks till our vacation though, and my parents are visiting so fun's on the horizon. This grind sucks, and yesterday didn't make it any better, but once the vacations start, they're pretty well sprinkled throughout till September.

K, here we go.

So, I didn't have anything on my mind yesterday, but also couldn't find my memory card from my phone (which is filled with random pics). Found it, so here you go. This is a random gentleman we bumped into when we were at the park in Mito last weekend. The bunny so comfortably perched on his shoulder simply demanded a pic. Enjoy.

Kairakuen

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile, but most of you know how lazy I am :). Things are good here, spring's coming, which is really exciting! We went to Kai-rak-uen park last weekend, which was gorgeous. This park has the most ume (plum) trees in all of Japan-over 3,000. Anyways, the trees started blooming a few weeks ago so we went for the Ume Festival.



There was also a house there, built by an emperor (I think) called a Kobuntei. I really loved that house-I told Brian I wanted him to buy it for me. I don't think the Japanese government would go for it though.





The rooms all had sliding doors (like we have, I don't know what they're called) painted by famous Japanese artists. They were amazing...






Anyways, that's it for now-I gotta get to work. Take care!! Laura :)

Japan: The Land of Muzak

Okay, so this is what was perched on the outskirts of my mind last week: Japan's love affair with muzak; oh boy, is it a love affair! EVERYWHERE you go, you can't help but here smooth renditions (both orchestral and electronic) of a multitude of popular western songs. I've heard everything from Beyonce (Irreplaceable) and Madonna (Crazy For You), to Aerosmith and folk songs (Too-A-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral). There are many others of course, but I've been negligent in keeping track of them (various other hip-hop, alt. rock, folk songs, etc.).

My personal favorite odd song usage has to be the signal that every Japanese store I've been in (at closing time anyway) uses to signal it's time to wrap up your shopping and get the hell out: Auld Lang Syne. Grocery stores, recycle shops (2nd hand), electronics stores, if you're shopping there between 9 and 10pm, you'll hear Auld Lang Syne. It's an odd way to say 'Dear Customers, we're closing soon, please proceed to the check out with your purchases', but it's entertainin nonetheless. You here the drunken song of renewal while browsing the aisles, look up, and all of your fellow shoppers are making a pseudo zombie-shuffle towards the cashier, items in hand. Consumer programming at its best.

Seriously though, EVERYTIME we go for dinner we are serenaded by deliciously lame renditions of songs that were, in many cases, deliciously lame to begin with. I really should start taking names.

Anway, that's it for now. Next week I'll tell you about the non-muzak offerings of a specific grocery store. Later.

Free time

Hmmmm, what to blog about today? There were so many things I thought of during the week and, of course, I can't remember a single one of them right now. They were mostly along the lines of 'Japan: The land of...'. Huh. Let me sit here and ponder... (2mins later). Well, I'm too lazy to sit and think about one of the funny observations of the past week, so I'll go with a sad one instead.

Japan: The land of severely over-worked people. I encountered two students this week that really shed some light on just how driven and consumed the Japanese are concerning work and education.

The first was an adult student. When I asked about hobbies, the student replied that he currently had NO time for hobbies. The one hobby he had before joining the workforce post-University had been given up, as all his spare time is spent on extra study for work. He doesn't even have any of his old equipment. That's how little chance he'll ever have time for it again is. As a result, he had nothing to discuss, and with no textbook to fall back on, it made for and EXTREMELY interesting conversation *sarcasm - drip, drip*

The second was just SAD. I asked the same question of a 12yr old student. She thought for a moment, and then replied 'sleeping in my room'. Her classmate spoke of custom pictures with friends, but the only thing this girl REALLY loves to do when she gets a moment of free time is to sleep. These kids are so pushed in school, have so many extracurricular activities, that most are dead on their feet @ age eleven. That's still elementary school. My junior high kids remind me of college/university students, but without the energy to party.