Attack of the Centipedes

The pictures below me are gifts from the internet. I made this post when I did not yet have the internet at my house and therefore did not have the ability to upload pictures from my laptop. Well, I had the ability, but not the motivation to drag my laptop around to a place that had wifi. Anyways, the pictures above are from Alex's and I's adventures with mukade, the pictures are below are from the internet. We are not nature explorers, and would never play with live poisonous centipedes...



So last week I went into the garage to throw away some PET bottles into the recycling, and as I was tossing them into the bin, what did I see but a HUGE centipede. About 5 inches long and 3/4 inch in diameter. SOOOO GROSS.

I made Alex kill it. We sprayed it with insecticide for centipedes and it lay twitching there for about....an hour. I felt really bad. I decided the next time i saw one I would be humane and decapitate it. Well, I would make Alex be humane and decapitate it.

I did not think the next one would find its way into the garage so soon. I dusted the entire outside of the house with centipede repellant, but...maybe it found its way in before that and the dusting merely trapped it inside...

Anyways, so Alex and I are cleaning out the garage and I told him to shake out the curtains outside. Another centipede rolled out of one of the curtains! YUCK. We sprayed it with killer and decapitated it on the spot, but it still twitched for a while. What weird gross bugs.

The first one was shiny and dark colored, almost black. The second one was light brown. I took pictures and they will illustrate this post one day....when I have the internet again.... Sigh...

Being in Japan has really made me more indifferent towards insects. If it is smaller than my hand and not crazy colors, I dont even care anymore. One year ago me would be shocked.

Ahhh, home again

Tokyo was fun, but it was also nice to realize I really do prefer Saijo and my life here. I know where to get everything, I have a car, and I have a big house. No more cramped spaces and hostel bunkbeds for me.

Or friend Daniel visited last week and left this last Tuesday. We were sad to see him go. One week is not enough time. I was feeling a little homesick thinking about it this morning.

Alex is still doing A-ok. I don`t think he will be teaching any more classes now that the new replacements are here (much to his relief), but he made a about 120,000 yen, so it`s all good. He helped pay for some of my train expenses in tokyo and bought some gundam models with the money so far, and will still come home with about 1000 dollars. He is being a good brother. Now that he is not working I am assigning him a new series to watch every day. Today was the IT Crowd and the week before was Better off Ted. If he`s going to be lazy and watch tv while I am at work, I at least want it to be good tv.

We went to Kamogawa river this morning to escape the oppressive heat. I have never wished for fall to come, but I am getting there in this weather!!!

Also on the river agenda, Remi, Alex and I are going rafting down Oboke River this weekend! So excited! Oboke is the biggest and one of the only free flowing river in Japan! The rest, as I have mentioned in the past, are dammed up and have concrete sides. I have always wanted to go and Remi brought it up, so I said sure!

Internet is coming this Sunday, so pictures will be up around then!!

Last Day in Tokyo

We met with Miyuki-chan, of blog posts of old, and my friend Taka. Kyle joined up for dinner later on.

We went to starbucks, then an italian restaurant, then walked around. Then we took the skyline train to a man made island near...somewhere, i forget where. We took purikura pictures (japanese photobooth pictures) and walked around some more.

We saw a Japanese girl group perform. It was weird. The dance number was bad. Lots of men in the crowd were attempting to dance along with them and mimick their motions. Just weird.

A camera man on a special raised platform was filming the performance. I was annoyed that someone wanted an archive of this nonsense.

Then we went back to the mainland and went to the cool bar I mentioned earlier. The Kill Bill bar. George Bush and Quintin Tarantinos pictures were on the wall. It was really fun and I was happy that everyone came out for my last night in Tokyo.

Abercrombie Store in Ginza

Today we got up early and went to Ginza.

It was crowded, and hot. I smelled an Abercrombie store a few blocks away and decided to go inside. The staff all had the same outfit and looked like American Japanese people, if you can picture that. They all were well versed in catch phrases. ''Hey!'' ''Check it out!'' ''Yeaaaah!''

They took my picture with a muscley model and gave me the polaroid. I like polaroids, I was happy.

It was dark and the music was loud. The store was small and around the corner was a stair. The stairs were lit up and cool looking, like soft yellow light illuminating the dark walls. But oh god, the walls.　They were covered from end to end with roman style paintings of muscular, scantily clad men in remnants of modern outfits. Some were nude, most had white underpants, and all were in homoerotic positions.

The stairs went up 11 stories. The homosexual artwork was on every floor and on every wall. I am not saying this because I think it is a bad thing, I am just describing how it was.

I actually had a lovely time. The staircase was beautiful, the music wasn't terrible, and the staff were all happy, smiling, and sometimes dancing. It was like being in a happy, nice smelling night club. With clothes.

Cat Cafe

So Alex and I didnt have the opportunity to hang out with any of our lovely Tokyo friends, so we set out for Shinjuku on our own. We wandered around, took lots of pictures and explored little side streets.

On one of the streets, I saw a sign for a cat cafe. A cafe where you can hang out with/pet cats. The sign said 11:30-5:30, so I was like, oh well, and was about to keep walking. Just then a lady handing out flyers came up to me and told me it was open! I had heard about these crazy places before, so I couldnt resist seeing what it was like.

Lots of people in Tokyo live in close quarters, small apartments, etc and are not allowed to have pets. But that doesnt mean they dont like cats, so animal cafe's have sprung up in Tokyo to fill the niche for pet lovers who can't own pets.

The place was up a narrow stair and covered two stories in a tall building. We were asked to remove our shoes (not at all unusual for japan) and put away our bags in cubbies. Then we had to wash our hands and they handed us ID badges with numbers on them. Then we were led into the two story cat cafe area. They had big screen TV's, a wii, a beverage window, and, of course, TONS of cats. I would say about 50. They were just chillin in every nook of the room, or were wandering around dodging people who wanted to pet them.

The rules were that you weren't allowed to pick them up, but could pet and feed them. The cats looked bored and lazy, and didn't particularly enjoy the 30 or so people in the cafe who were fawning over them. They only approached people who had food, but did sometimes mistake people for having food when they did not. When they realized their mistake, or when the food ran out, they would saunter off in search of their next tidbit.

All in all it was like a cross between feeding pigeons and watching fish swim. I love cats, but it's just not the same when you can't hold them and they don't care about you unless you have chicken. Or smell of chicken.

I would never do it again, but it was definitely one of those Tokyo things I am glad I was able to experience. Some of the people were regulars, and requested to see their favorite animals. Sometimes the staff would inform them that the cat they requested was taking a break in the nap room, and they'd be all dissappointed.

My favorites were the munchkin cats (they had short little legs just like dachsunds) and the american shorthair (silver with black circlular stripes). The staff was also really friendly, and one guy spoke English and was really nice to me.

I think Alex had fun too.　It has been another long but pleasant day in Tokyo.

Tomorrow I am looking forward to meeting up with Taka and maybe Kyle again. Taka and Alex and I are going to go district hopping until evening, when we have reservations at this bar that inspired one of the fight scenes in Tarantino's Kill Bill. I was also told that they had the Tokyo premier party for the movie there. Pretty awesome.

I am also meeting up with Bret's friend, Miyuki-chan for lunch in Ginza, the ritzy business district.

Tomorrow is our last day so I want to make the most of it. I am taking lots of pictures and will put them up as soon as I am able. I miss everyone!!!

Second Day!

Today the first thing we did was check out of our first hostel and set out to find the second one. The first one did not have space aside from the one night, but I am happy it didnt! The second one is SOOOOO much nicer. It is more Japanesy and the staff is much friendlier. It is called the Tokyo Samurai Hostel and it is such an improvement. It has free internet and the rooms are very clean and modern. I spent tons of money on 20 minute intervals at the previous hostel, it was lame!

On our way to the second hostel we stopped by some places at the market. I saw a flock of Japanese people at a small stand selling these croquet looking things filled with meat. They looked delicious, so Alex and I stopped by. They were making them fresh so we had to wait, but it was nice because we snagged the bench out front. In Japan, walking and eating or drinking is technically considered to be impolite and it is cumbersome anyways, so I was happy to have a place to sit. The croquets came out of the fryer burning hot and Alex suffered some minor injuries. I was also suffered, but the culprit was not hot oil but the deceptively normal looking mustard that everyone was putting on their croquets. I slathered mine and little did I know it was the spiciest/wasabi/horsradish torture condiment in the world. I was thirsty and had no water, and the mustard stuck to every part of my throat. I thought I was going to die. So I standing coughing and trying to wave air ito my mouth and Alex is covered in hot grease. We were quite the spectacle.

Then we saw an interesting antique shop and I got a couple of prints from the 1820's. They look really neat and depict fighting samurais with traditional japanese scenery and housing in the background.

Then we passed another print shop that was more modern. Alex got a cool print of a Japanese style dragon with some kanji script and stuff in the background as a gift from me. It is so darn difficult to find things he likes. I have held up every item in the marketplace for his opinion and he alwayds shrugs and *meh*s me. It is quite disheartening. So when he lit up with interest I decided to buy it for him. I also got him a black adidas shirt that has a gold silkscreen of the same style dragon on it. He has such a bland wardrobe. Today he wore a t-shirt the color of wet concrete and some faded green cargo shorts. Ugh.

After checking into the new hostel we set out for Akihabara once again. Alex wanted some Gundam models, so I took him to a few shops that sell anime paraphenelia. Little did I know that models are not figurines. They are models. Tiny pieces of plastic that you have to assemble. People do this for fun? Weird. He was happy though so whatever.

To top off the Gundam themed adventure we went to the newly opened Gundam Cafe near Akihabara station. The line was discouragingly long when we saw it yesterday, and today it was longer. But I will take Alex anywhere that he doesnt grunt at when I suggest going, so we waited in line. It was nice. Very cool and themed inside and out. I took lots of pictures and will try to upload them asap. I am sorry for the lack of photos, but they will be up as soon as my internet is set up at the house. I MISS THE HOUSE!

Now we are at the hostel and I am hoping Kyle or Taka call and want to hang out again tonight. If not I will take Alex to see Shinjuku and search for a restaurant. All the walking makes me hungry. No phone calls yet :(

First Day Recap

Things went pretty well the first day. We visted Akihabara, Shibuya and Takadobaba. What a crazy name for a place! I think I mispelled it, there might be some more blah blahs in there (:

We were also in Asakusa, which is where our hostel is located. There is a massive gate the leads to another giant gate which leads to a temple where the marketplace is located. I had some delicious corn on the cob and Alex ate some yakitori sticks and other miscellanious edibles we passed by. He got a wall poster of the Japanese wave art that is really famous.

It is unbelievably crowded everywhere we go. Throngs and throngs of people. I had to tell Alex to be more aggressive at train stations and whatnot because if you do not rush in front people will shove their way past you and then you have to wait for the next train. It is all right though. I think I should have clarified that children and the elderly are exempt from this tactic...woops

I met up with my friends Kyle, from the University of Washington and Takatoshi, who I met in saijo. They are both really nice and friendly, so I didnt want to miss the opportunity to hang out with them. Takatoshi is a great guy and he knows a lot about good places to go because he lives in Tokyo. He showed us to a Thai restaurant for dinner that night. THAI FOOD. AUTHENTIC THAI FOOD. I had honestly thought that I would have to wait until I went back to America to have real thai food again. Or go to Thailand, which is closer. But I had it, and it was glorious. My stomach is still punishing me but whatever. WORTH IT.




Then we walked to Shibuya instead of taking the train. It was awesome. There was some light rain but it was nice because it was so hot. We went to the famous intersection and walked around looking at all the ads and lights.

Thank you Kyle and Taka for coming out!!! I really appreciate it!

In Tokyo Again

Everything is the same. The district I am in has a lot of foreigners. I hear a lot of German conversations. No one is very friendly.

I am trying to meet up with some friends currently, I hope it works out. If not, I guess it is back to the train for me to go to some random districts.

Alex appears to be unamused but says he is having fun. WHATEVER.

Also, just like last time, everyone in my hostel is LAME. And I am not even that picky at the moment. I would hang out with anyone, but they all either dont speak English or the English they do speak makes me want to walk in front of a rickshaw.

Finally

The move in process begins!

busy busy

So nothing too eventful has been happening. Just working a lot, trying to make the transition to a new company a smooth one for Bret, and packing up the apartment to move to the new place.

Alex is doing well. Every morning I wake up, shuffle over to his door and yell "ARE YOU HUNGRY?" and he ALWAYS yells back "NO" and then I yell back "WELL I'M GONNA MAKE EGGS AND TOAST" and then he mumbles that he would actually like some and then I go about the rest as usual.

here are a few pictures from the last week: