Japan - April 4, 2008
I'm still in awe at a lot of little things in Japan. For example, I saw a water barbell in the store. What is a water barbell? It's a barbell made of plastic that you fill with water. Makes complete sense. Why fill them with sand beforehand and then ship the things, then consumers have to carry the things out of the store, etc. Instead, you just bring the plastic-shaped barbell home and fill it with water. Makes perfect sense.
We also found several 100 yen stores. 100 yen is about the same as US$1. Everything you see in the store is available for 100 yen each. This included my plastic barbell! We found about 40 items including pots and pans and 30-something other essential items for the house. Doormats, towels, etc. Every single one of them was 100 yen each (US$1). So far, I haven't found Japan all that expensive. There are several of those near out apartment.
As to our apartment. It has a name, I think 3DK if I remember correctly. Essentially it is three rooms plus a kitchen. Each room is connected to two others, kind of box formation altogether. But you can either shut or open doors in different ways to have a wall or not have a wall (or door) between the rooms. So we essentially use one for the bedroom, and the other two are living rooms. In addition, we have a small balcony. I am very pleased with our apartment.
I am also working on Japanese Pimsleur, and have been for about a month or two. I still can't speak, but I recognize some words. I'm on Lesson 11 right now. I've also found myself quite fascinated by Japan in a way that I didn't expect. I can't help but think I wasted way too many years in South Korea. Maybe it is all novelty right now, but I really like the demeanor of the Japanese people, and find it very relaxing and comfortable here. I don't feel the angst and stress and such that I found in hectic and very busy Seoul. I'm sure there will be things I'll miss about Seoul, but I am finding Japan very interesting in a very long-term kind of way.
I can also think of many other places where I have travelled, and perhaps felt right away that the place wasn't for me. For example, when i went to Indonesia or Chile or Hungary or Turkey. There wasn't a pull there in a sense that I felt I could spend a long time in any of those places. Of course they are all great for traveling. But anyways, being in Japan, I find myself quite fascinated with the place, in the sense that I feel I could spend a long time here. We will see, as it's only been 4-5 days so far, and many things could change my mind in the future. We will see.
NEXT JAPAN JOURNAL ENTRY:
April 4, 2008
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