Going, going, GONE!

As my dear and wise friend Sarah told me, you never realize how many friends you have until you say goodbye to them all. I had the unfortunate experience of doing just that; saying goodbye to everyone I know, all the while knowing that I won’t see many of them again. At least for a while, but possibly ever. (I miss you already!) One notable exception, though, is the Horse.

Here is Dave and Uma, affectionately known to some as the Horse, as her name translates. Uma’s holding the ice cream, which means that Dave probably bought it for himself and Uma ended up taking it. This has happened at every meal so far and it’s hilarious in its predictability. They have kindly let Niq and I stay on their kitchen/living room floor in Tokyo while we explore the city and ease our way back into American life. For example, I’ve seen so many foreigners today that I didn’t even get the chance to stare at all of them. Soon being surrounded by white people won’t be so frightening for me. I can only hope. I also saw Americans in too-tight halter one-pieces and fluorescent windbreakers with awesomely askew trucker hats. Is this normal over there?

Today Niq and I wandered around Asakusa, home of Senso-ji temple most famously recognized by its giant lanterns. Since I am a lantern-lover myself, I really enjoy this temple. I’ve been here before, but I have a feeling a lot of this Tokyo trip will be me taking Niq around to places I wish we’d seen together the last time I was here. Plus I feel cool because it’s like I know my way around Tokyo, which is only sort of true.

From the temple we walked towards Kitchenware Town, a really fun district that supplies restaurants with everything needed to run a business. There was an entire store devoted to We’re Open signs! And I now know how much 10,000 yen will buy you in paper cups! The best place, though, was Maizuru– a sample food store. Japan is well known for its plastic food outside the restaurants, something very much appreciated by those easily swayed by the power of suggestion (yes, that would definitely be me). This store is apparently the place to get your fake food. The prices were incredibly high, about 20 dollars for a single piece of sushi. The meals on plates, like curry and rice or a serving of spaghetti, ran about 100 dollars and more.

1 comment July 26th, 2006