Costco!!

TCB - Taking Care of Business

We had a very eventful day today. This morning, our old oven and dishwasher were replaced with new ones. I love having a flat-top stove again!!

I continue to try to research pre-schools for Jacob. Many people asked how I like the Hayama school. I liked it, but thought it was a little over-priced for pre-school. However, after talking with another local preschool, along with the Child Development Center on base, and the elementary school down the road, I've decided Hayama is really not such a bad deal after all. I still have one more school out in town I'm hoping to get more information about, and then it will be decision time.

Best news of the morning ... all of our belongings are finally here and will be delivered next week!!!

Here is a random picture that doesn't fit in anywhere, but that I have to share. It is astounding how many kids you see strapped on to the back of mo-peds and motorcycles!!

Costco!

Yes, our big adventure today was going to Costco!! A friend of mine has a membership and showed me how to get there. On the way, we saw a monorail!! The only monorail I have ever seen is the one at Disneyland, so I was as excited as her two-year-old son!

Anyway, we made it easily enough to Costco, and let me tell you, I knew just what to do! It looked pretty much like any other Costco in the states. You walk in, the people are there to check your ID, you see giant TV's and electronics, there is a clothing area beyond that in the middle of the store, etc. It was a pretty typical Costco layout. What was different however, was the meat / seafood section. There were platters and platters of already-made sushi. For about $ 25, you could buy a huge platter of bright, vibrant sushi! I was drooling!!! There were some other interesting fresh fish that I snapped pictures of.

The best deal at Costco, however, is the fruit. Fruit is exceedingly expensive out here. We pay dearly for apples, strawberries, kiwis, and even bananas are a bit pricier than in the states. Somehow the fruit at Costco was a whole lot cheaper, which may entice me enough to go get a membership.

And, the best part of Costco, even in Japan, is getting to snag the samples! Now, I have to say, while people individually in Japan are very courteous and polite, when you are in a crowd, the mentality kind of changes to "Everyone for themselves." I had a couple of people actually run into my cart and not blink an eye. I was appalled and wanted to give them the "Excuse Me" look! But, hey, I'm on their turf now.

The other funny difference in Japan vs. The US in Costco was how people go about getting samples. I don't know about you, but I try not to make it too obvious that I would really like whatever food item they are featuring at the particular table. Usually I mill around the table, and if there is a sample available, I snatch it up. If it's cooking still, I may linger and pretend to be interested in an item near the sample table, and then once the sample is ready, I'm there to snatch one up. Here, in Japan though, no need to be inconspicuous about taking samples. People just line up to wait for the samples to be ready. Amen to that, I say! Why sneak around. .. Just admit you're dying to have a free bite and suck up your pride. Way to go Japan!!

Out in Town:

Following our trip to Costco, Jacob and I were still in an adventurous mood, so we tackled the local "mall" by our house. I thought it would be a mall like in the states, with lots of little stores to look in, but it turned out to be 3 levels of stores. One level was like a CVS with a book store. The level below it was like a very modified JC Penny's, and the last level was a grocery store.

Although Jacob enjoyed reading the Japanese version of his Toy Story books on level 2, we had the most fun in the grocery store. There was a delicious bakery section, that puts Panera Bread to shame. Jacob didn't care for the smell of the seafood section, but he did like all the "crazy snacks" and "crazy drinks," as he calls them. We always buy something new to take home and sample. Tonight, it was some ripply crunchy stick things. They tasted kind of like those Bugle chips from the states. They are slightly addicting.

Parking is always what scares me the most, because I never know if I have to pay at certain lots, or how much parking is. Thankfully, it turned out that all you had to do at this particular parking garage was to give the cashier your ticket, and they validated it for you. Whew! It's hard to know when you don't speak the language. Speaking of which, I better get back to my studies!!

Sayonara for now!

PS So far, I have learned: Watashi wa Amy-san. Watashi wa Amerikajin desu. (Translation: My name is Amy. I am American.). "Thank you" and "Sorry" have been my main-stays thus far.