Day 2: Venturing Outside The Home
We ventured out today for some basics for the bedroom and bathroom. We walked the 8 minutes to our local train station and boarded the local train. We arrived in a shopping area nearby that has a Japanese version of a Dollar store. It was amazing to see all of the things we could buy for 100 Yen, which is about 90 cents.
On the street we noticed lots of people with umbrellas to shield them from the hot sun. Most people had some type of handkerchief or towel to mop the sweat from their brow, neck, etc. It was 90 degrees with 53% humidity.
There were lots of people on the streets handing out coupons, ads for local shops, etc. It's a common occurance to have someone on the street to direct business to a particular shop. The shops are usually small and very close together, so it's hard to notice a particular shop unless they do something to make them stand out.
After the 100 Yen store, we ventured over to an electronics store to buy a hair dryer. It was interesting to see how differently the goods were designed. Most were more compact than American designs and almost all were more advanced with more features than I'm used to seeing. Flat panel TV's seemed to be the norm with box set TVs hidden in the background.
After making our purchases, we walked back to the train, boarded it and got off at our station. The boys were red-faced and sweating from the heat and walking. When we got home, Michael was so thirsty that he enjoyed drinking the grapefruit juice in the fridge. He didn't even notice the tart taste of grapefruit.
When we got off the train at our station, we stopped at the local bakery. It's a French styled bakery with lots of ornate pastries and breads. They often make rolls with fillers like sausage, yakisoba noodles, spaghetti noodles, curry, custard, etc. They also make rolls for kids that are shaped like cartoon characters and decorated with frosting, candies, etc. It helps sell more bread.
After dinner the kids lit sparklers. You can buy simple, 'safe' fireworks almost all summer.
On the street we noticed lots of people with umbrellas to shield them from the hot sun. Most people had some type of handkerchief or towel to mop the sweat from their brow, neck, etc. It was 90 degrees with 53% humidity.
There were lots of people on the streets handing out coupons, ads for local shops, etc. It's a common occurance to have someone on the street to direct business to a particular shop. The shops are usually small and very close together, so it's hard to notice a particular shop unless they do something to make them stand out.
After the 100 Yen store, we ventured over to an electronics store to buy a hair dryer. It was interesting to see how differently the goods were designed. Most were more compact than American designs and almost all were more advanced with more features than I'm used to seeing. Flat panel TV's seemed to be the norm with box set TVs hidden in the background.
After making our purchases, we walked back to the train, boarded it and got off at our station. The boys were red-faced and sweating from the heat and walking. When we got home, Michael was so thirsty that he enjoyed drinking the grapefruit juice in the fridge. He didn't even notice the tart taste of grapefruit.
When we got off the train at our station, we stopped at the local bakery. It's a French styled bakery with lots of ornate pastries and breads. They often make rolls with fillers like sausage, yakisoba noodles, spaghetti noodles, curry, custard, etc. They also make rolls for kids that are shaped like cartoon characters and decorated with frosting, candies, etc. It helps sell more bread.
After dinner the kids lit sparklers. You can buy simple, 'safe' fireworks almost all summer.
posted by Terry & Mio @ 8:33 AM
1 Comments:
At 7:45 PM,
Terry & Mio said…
Thanks for the comment. Glad Selena is enjoying her first bicycle. It's a big step in her life to have her first bicycle.
Hopefully we'll see you in Tokyo.
Take care, Terry
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