Today was a very very fun day! After waking up at 9:45, the latest I have slept in yet in Japan, we went to Otousan and Okaasan’s church for their Bazaar. (BTW the greeting everyone says to each other while shaking their hands is Shunoheiwa, which literally means “The Lord’s Peace.”). Anyway the Bazaar was really fun — I helped by spreading ketchup and mustard on the hot dogs and hamburgers and putting lettuce on the hamburgers (It’s funny how I, who have never eaten a hot dog/hamburger, was making them!). I didn’t really mind though, especially since it was just like making veggie burgers and I was wearing gloves.

Anyway then I had lunch (from the Bazaar, which was a kind of vegetables con arroz except instead of rice in the middle it was noodles.). It was basically noodles, eggs, seaweed, and cucumbers, and you were supposed to mix it all together and eat it, which was delicious. I made the mistake of getting some mustard on the side (traditional Japanese mustard, not the tame American one) which was so spicy it went straight to my nose! It’s funny how fresh Wasabi honestly tastes amazing and is not excessively strong, but packaged Japanese mustard is a killer! I then had a lemon/vanilla yogurt desert (it was vanilla yogurt on top of Lemon jello), Dango, or rice balls with some sauce on then, and a lemon Icee (freshly made.). Then I walked around the various stalls. Everything was VERY reasonably priced and all the used items looked brand new! They were selling very good quality used clothes for only 100 yen (about a dollar) and they had amazing suits in there — the problem was they were way to small for me… Otherwise I would have bought them! However it brought to mind what Dada said about Japanesr clothes being amazing quality, so next time I go shopping I will see if I can get some clothes.

After the bazaar we went to my host niece’s ballet performance. Although it was a long event, all the performances were excellent (she dance in three of the thirteen.). It was funny how one thing that was explicitly told to the ladies at our YFU orientation was that showing the stomach was banned, but most of the ballet costumes all showed the stomach! However, I have noticed that in regular everyday life showing the stomach is not done. And while teenagers do walk around (outside of school) in shorts all other males wear formal pants all the time.

After the ballet we went to an amazing Tenpura and Udon noodle place, where I had vegetarian Tenpura and Udon noodle (the Udon noodles had a steamed (I think?) egg in it and chopped up spring onions and it was really amazing.

I don’t know if I posted this yet, but about Bollywood, on my first or second day of class one of my classmates asked me if Indian movies were musicals, and I said, “Yes,” and asked her if she had seen any, and she said no but she had seen clips on TV. So yes, while not very influential, Bollywood is still around in Japan!

Oh and before going to the ballet we stopped at the Post Office. And you know how Anericans have to lick their stamps, right? And if you have many letters your mouth eventually dries up (there was an I Love Lucy episode like that.). Well guess what, the Japanese have a solution for that! Wet a sponge with water, and then just tap the stamps on the sponge! Quite ingenious!

And BTW, the road system: no seat belts needed here, drive on the left side, and people tend to enter the intersection when trying to make turns and such even if they cannot necessarily clear it. But nowhere as much chaos as India! (And people tend not to Jaywalk here.). But anyway, 2 things that impressed me: 1) There is an overpass over many major streets built specifically for U-turns! The left most lane climbs up to the overpass, you turn right on it, right again, a d come down onto the other side in the other direction! Very convenient to avoid u-turning chaos on the road! And 2) this may also be around in America, but today Okaasan had to get out of a parking lot straight onto a road (in America the equivalent would be getting out of a driveway onto a road, such as Chiltern) and as oppose to backing out into the road and straightening up in one go, she straightened up to the parallel of the road in the parking lot itself (with a many-point-turn) and then went straight into the road (like going into the road after having pulled over on the side. And that technique was so much safer and less chaotic, given the busy road she had to enter, that it really blew my mind!

And about the Blue Zone: I talked to my Host Sister about it and she said that Okinawa does have the longest lifetime in Japan, but now it is breaking down and people are getting unhealthy. Probably a combination of diet (everything they eat is VERY VERY fresh,) exercise, tea (I have had soo many different varieties you would not believe it,) sea air, etc.

Kk, Good Night! 😀