日本での発見 / Discoveries in Japan #34: 八百屋さん / More fruits

Today I played the "What Can I Buy With the Change in My Wallet?" game—and lost.

The game is simple: You stand in front of the grocery store (any store, really, but the grocery store is fun because it's big and has a lot of variety) and decide if you want to play the game or not. If you do decide to play, you walk into the store, and then see how much change you have in your wallet. And then you find whatever you can buy with what you've got.

If you can't (or don't) buy anything, you lose. But just because you buy something, doesn't mean you win. There are different points awarded for what and how you buy. If you buy something you actually wanted, that's extra points. If you buy something delicious/healthy, extra points. Something local/organic, extra points. Something discounted/on sale that's originally somewhat pricey, extra points. Sounds like fun, right?

I don't mind losing today, because I'd already bought stuff on my way home from my shamisen lesson. Clementines and apples from Aomori! Plus some abura-age! All for super cheap at 八尾 Cook, a store that sells fresh produce (as well as other things that tend to be expensive at grocery stores because they get imported from far away) and prepared side dishes for generous prices. Now that's a real win.

日本での発見 / Discoveries in Japan #33: メロン / Cantaloupe

I was shocked to receive a cantaloupe in my co-op box this week. (I'm actually not sure if it's a cantaloupe or a honeydew, not that I know the difference—I assume that orange flesh is cantaloupe and green flesh is honeydew.)

I understand that cantaloupes in Japan are really expensive, especially the Yūbari melon. (In my summer gift catalog one Yūbari melon with a sugar level of over 12 degrees goes for ¥6,300, though it does get shipped in a wooden box.) So imagine my surprise when I got an "Andes melon" grown in Ibaraki Prefecture, one apparently considered a "medium" size (though it fits on the palm of my hand). I'm too scared to eat it because I'm afraid that it's supposed to be treasured to the utmost...

Today was a lovely day, with my friend giving me a beautiful bouquet to celebrate a fork in the road. Now, to wait for someone to come home so we can eat a melon...

呑ん兵衛さん / Wino

と、呑ん兵衛さんは私だ。今日はバイト先でワインを四杯も頂きました——白、赤、赤、デザート。写真は二杯目の赤、スペインのです。ワインと一緒には色々とおつまみも——枝豆の醤油とニンニク漬け、鶏の白レバームース、トリッパのパスタ、バジル風味のシェーブル、青カビのスティルトン・・・で家に帰って来てもいけしゃあしゃあとロゼを呑んでる私って、一体・・・

今夜はひとりぼっちだから、うんと夜更かししてやるんだ。本読んで、溜め込んでたネットの記事読んで、パイナップルのジャム食べて・・・そんで明日は朝っぱらから床屋さんに行くのだ。我ながら、無為な毎日である・・・

Since the time I was in high school, I've had the same new year's resolution year after year—to stop swearing (or, at least to swear noticeably less). Well my friends, this is the year to seriously put my shoulder to the wheel and stop my stupid system from spewing out swear words. In addition, I also need to learn how to cook, learn how to walk in heels without complaining, and learn that sometimes, when there is a fork in the road, there is nothing to do but to take it and eat some gluten-free pasta with it.

日本での発見 / Discoveries in Japan #32: 梅雨 / Season for Rain

Today feels like a perfect day, even though I know it's far from it. It's been raining since yesterday, with the Tokyo area finally entering full-fledged rainy season. Wetness and grayness all around—so unlike California.

でもそれでもなんだか気持が落ち着く。雨で街の香りが一層と強くなる。朝っぱらから論文と将来についてゴソゴソと頭を回転させながら、大好きなサウンドトラックを聴く。夜更かしした次の日のミルクティーは、柔らかくて美味しい。こんな日は、鮮やかで劇的な紫陽花よりも、大切なモノをかみしめながら、こじんまりとした花をちょっと飾るんでいいかもしれない。

日本での発見 / Discoveries in Japan #31: 鰍沢 / Kajikazawa

On Thursday I went out to Yamanashi Prefecture to check out some stuff about writer Mochizuki Yuriko (望月百合子、1900–2001). To be specific, I went to a place called Kajikazawa, where it looks like this outside the station.

And it looks this like along the river that I followed to get to the (tiny) resource center.


Hey, there are few things I like more than green mountains. But I admit, it was kind of a lonely trip going out to Kajikazawa, on a train line where IC cards (like Suica and Pasmo) aren't even accepted. And from the window of the train I could see relatively empty neighborhoods passing by, marked by hospitals and care centers for the elderly. The notion of an "aging society" (高齢化社会) is hard to comprehend when I'm in Tokyo, where babies run rampant—but take just a few steps outside the metropolis, and the issue becomes more salient.

日本での発見 / Discoveries in Japan #30: 献血 / Blood Drive

The first time I donated blood was in college. Since then I've periodically donated blood, since there always seems to be a blood drive happening somewhere near me. I like how blood is warm as it flows out of the human body. The pain is minimal if the needle is slid into the arm well. I guess I've become (very) mildly addicted to the feeling of it all.

最近血液型が O+ だと知った。赤血球の適合性はそんな悪くないかも。血も回復するし、髪もまた伸びる。内臓までは行かないけど、有り余ってるんだったら必要としてる人にあげちゃっていいじゃない。