Nihongo-a-Go-Go :: Mandy's Journal

Welcam to MUDHATERS Carnibal!

Hehe, that's a direct quote from a new Japanese computer game that Aimee has. Oh, the joys of Engrish. And...no, we have no idea what it means. It's a fighting game.

Anyway, as I'm sure you know, my time in Japan has come to an end. I leave for the airport tomorrow morning. My suitcases are packed, my apartment is empty, and I've said good-bye to everyone. I will seriously miss Japan. It still doesn't seem real that I've spent an entire year here, and now I'm on my way home.

This isn't quite the end of this blog. After work ended, Aimee and I journeyed to Tokyo for a few days, and then one last time to Kyoto. So, there will be pictures and descriptions and reflections, just a little bit late. Stay tuned!

And keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I make the big trek over the Pacific tomorrow. Good-bye, Nagoya. You were totally my favorite city in Japan. Why? Because you were so like, and so unlike, Buffalo. Which sounds stupid, but I'll explain later. Have a good night, all.

Need me some plans!

Well, work is done and what have I done with my last few days? NOTHING! It's actually really weird and I'm all restless and uncomfortable. I just feel very unmotivated, and I'm not sleeping well. I need to get myself doign something productive, even if it's just dishes and laundry. I think it's just a bit of world-weariness left over from work, some dread at going home, and just...a certain sense of uncertainty. And not in the adventurey way.

Anyway, today was the After Event at Volks. Aimee and I went to see the new Robot Fighting Stadium. It was smaller than I had expected, but still really cool. I also drooled over the new dolls I love but cannot even remotely afford. Such is life, yeah?

On the way back to the station, we stopped at a Denny's for lunch. We thought that we might as well see what it was like so we could compare. Well...apart from the name, it was nothing like a Denny's back home. The meals were all special types of ramen and oyster pasta, bizarrely arranged Caesar salads and 5 dollar drinks...like orange juice! We got some unsatisfying sandwiches (which we paid much too much for) and headed out. Give me a normal Denny's any day! Where was my Moon Over My Hammies? Huh? Huh??

So...today was sort of disappointing in many ways. The last few days have been. It's a really good thing that we do have some plans. Monday we're heading to Tokyo for a few days. We even have our hotel booking. And then Friday we're going to Kyoto. Again, we already have a booking there. So we MUST go.

For some pics, here is a famous site in Nagoya. One of the foods the city is known for is miso katsu, a deep fried pork cutlet with miso sauce. This restaurant, identifiable by the huge sumo pig mascot, is one of the most popular places to sample this dish. I haven't eaten there (this one is in Sakae, the downtown district), but today at around noon there was a line around the building of people waiting to get in for lunch.

This last batch is from the closest subway station to my apartment, Kamejima. It's a very small station, but it works for me. The pictures below are the platform, the sign on the side that I need to stand on to head to work, and finally, the sign on the floor that tells you where to board if you're a woman, before 9 am, who doesn't want to get her rear pinched. *shakes head*

Stay tuned for a more...upbeat entry. :)

Nearing the finish line

Well, only five days left of work, yay! I'm getting a little anxious about the process of leaving Japan, though. Our date of departure is three weeks from yesterday. Plenty of time, but also plenty to do. I will miss so much in Japan...heh, but not my job! I will be shaking the dust of Nova off my shoes on Wednesday, believe me!

We went out with Amy and Alex for dinner last night to our favorite izakaya. Amy works with me at Hara, and is super funny. I love working days that she's wearing. Alex is her girlfriend, and she works at a different branch. I actually met her first at a help shift, working in Sakae. They're both from Canada, and have no illusions about working here, heh. So, they're fun to talk to. I tried some raw beef for the first time. Yuck! Never again! That was the nastiest texture I have ever experienced. *shudder* I also tried a spicy Korean dish. I don't know the name of it, but it's cold veggies and a thin strip of meat, wrapped up like sushi in a very thin rice ...pancake? Then there's a spicy sauce squirted artistically over it. The spiciness was weird because you felt it on your lips, rather than actually tasting it. I'll try to find a picture. It was a very fresh texture and taste.

Today was a little slower. I mailed home my dolls (family, please watch out for them!) I'm terrified until I know they're safely home. I sent them via EMS, so they should be fine. *knocks on wood* We also went through some stuff and sorted, threw out, etc. I also pulled out my smaller suitcase and started filling it with all the stuff that's not clothes. Woo...it's heavy and almost full! But really...most everything's in there. So after I pack my clothes (which will not be for a bit), maybe I can repack and the two won't be too heavy. I'm rather anxious and nervous about getting everything to the airport in time. *hides*

Election time is upon us in Nagoya, and it's a unique experience. First of all, the campaign. There are posters, articles in the newspaper, spots on tv, you know. There are also trucks with loudspeakers mounted on them chug their way through the streets, shouting out about their chosen candidate very very loudly. From 6 am to 10 pm. And basically, these redundent spiels consist of three phrases: "Sumimasen!", "Arigatou gozaimasu!," and telling the listeners to vote for the candidate (so many repetitions of the candidate's name). This doesn't sound odd until you put it into an English perspective. Imagine if, for the last presidential election in the US, all you heard from the loudspeaker-bedecked trucks was: "Pardon me! Pardon me! Thank you, thank you! Vote for Bush, Bush, Bush! Thank you, pardon me, Bush!" The trucks are also full of smiling, waving young women. Secondly, the voting for each candidate is scheduled for a different day. Man...you'd have to be really sure before you went to vote, I guess. :)

That's all for today. Stay tuned for...heh, I dunno yet. Maybe I'll post our post-Nova vacation plans. Whee!