Ok so it looks like I have replaced the 3am roosters in Honduras with the giant black crows here in Yokohama. Yikes! :-( Looks like I will have to wear my ear plugs here as well when I sleep in order to get a few hours of rest between the cawing and snoring. UGH! (only slight downside so far)
The futons were GREAT and we slept well. We like them alot!!
Got up early and made/ate breakfast in the lower tatami room with CJ (that is a first in 20 some years). I told him maybe I am gonna be his "BIG" geisha girl :-)
Then walked with CJ down the hill thru the park to the train station and passed by some junior high girls in uniforms going to the International school. CJ went to work for a meeting and I went walking. I had fun exploring the harbor in Yamashita Park where many men and their dogs were resting on park benches, reading newspapers, sleeping,running, meditating...
I walked up to see what this crazy looking structure was sticking out into the harbor. I found it was the Osanbachi Pier and the Yokohama International Passenger Terminal for cruise ships. I thought it was a driving range. Very cool architecture and great 360 degree views of the Yokohama Harbor area. It was very hot even at 7:30 am in the morning. Had a "little" chat with some young man with a New York T shirt on. He knew more english than I Japanese, but I was just happy that "he" started up a conversation with me. :-) YES !!
Next,I walked back down the pier and crossed over into Chinatown.(supposedly it is the biggest one in Asia). The day was just beginning there around 9:30 am and I watched as people scrubbed the sidewalks outside in front of their businesses. Men and women were setting up their stands to sell lychee nuts, roasted hazelnuts, big dumplings were steaming in baskets.....Stopped in a bakery of sorts and bought some fancy packaged pastries for our dessert tonight.
Further down the road, I had a nice "japlish" conversation with buisness man about incense holders and think I learned the word "Hei" for ashes which they use to hold the sticks upright in the bowl. I was trying to ask where I buy some sand or dirt which I thought they used and he said no ashes. So...I got a pretty round shaped blue and white pedestal one with bamboo decorations on the sides. Also tried asking another lady in her shop what the hanging pepper shaped tailsmans were about and what I got out of it was decorations for good luck to hang in your windows. It will be most interesting once I find out more if I am correct and already I am having fun even when I really know only 5 words if that. Once I get things in order with the house and these blogs and Honduras work up to date I will really dive into learning more Japanese. Yeeeha !!!
As I continued down this street I next saw the beautiful and very ornate Guan Di Maio temple for the chinese people living in Japan. They come here for inspiration and spritual emotion. I too peeked over the wall at some elementary kids outside at recess playing ballin their blue shorts and green caps. On the other side of the street a little further down I came upon a park where a little day care center was and the wee ones were all out playing in the playground with their different colored hats on, which I assumed was to differentiate what age group they were in? The laundry and diapers were hanging out to dry in the front of the building and some other day care ladies walked past me on the sidewalk pushing more little ones in a rolling playpen and then passed 2 young ricksaw drivers who were stretching before their day of work day begin pulling people in their carts.
I started getting hungry and it was almost 11 am and so I headed back home for some lunch.Crossing the canal I stopped for some colorful and animal like reflective photos in the water. To my great surprise and delight I then came upon a SUPER bakery just at the bottom of one of the slopes down from our house. Ahhhhhhhh...a heavenly place. Of course I went in and grabbed a pair of tongs and a little tray and picked out what items I wanted to purchase. I ended up with two veggie looking pastries and a 2 loaves of bread. One cinnamon swirl and another I have no idea. Back through the park and up the winding paths past the huge blue hydrangas and I made myself a salad to go with the pastries, which ended up being a ham ,cheese and tomatoe like sandwich in quiche shape and the other one a curry flavored mystery filling. They were both delicious and I had a hard time leaving 1/2 of each for CJ to try when he got home later in the day.
CJ called and he was running late and was going out to lunch with a guy at work, so I took a little snooze on the tatami mat after my lunch before he got home and we were then off to the Naka Ward office to register for our ALIEN cards. Thankfully CJ has a better ear than I and had he heard when they called out Harriman-san. I had no clue. There too, was a young couple there with a brand new days old baby I presume getting a birth certificate. It was a very busy office and lots of paper work was being pushed around. Everyone was so friendly and helpful.
After my long 4 hour walk this am I was still famished even after the salad and pastries and so we stopped and CJ had an iced coffee and kiwi shortcake while I had what I think was an eggplant pasta dish. All of it was yummy.
We then headed over to the Minato Mirari area by train on the far side of the harbor
to look at some furniture stores. We are enjoying sitting on the pillows, but a chair will be nice too,... one day soon. We looked in 3 different furniture stores one being 9 floors full of any kind of furniture you can think of. I even found a hippo stool for $1000USA. Too pricy but it was cute. CJ was a happy camper when we passed by a car shop and he was able to check out all the millions of car parts and things to pimp ones ride. I of course had no clue what I was looking at, but it was fun watching him get so excited about the different things to add to ones car. It was a man's heaven on earth.
We were pooped and again hungry from all the walking, some of which I am not sure I get as we seem to walk further underground to get to different subway and train lines then we do above ground. This I think will be one of my BIGGEST challenges when here. I have never been too good with directions and when walking in tunnel like mazes (malls, airports, skylines...). I always feel like one of Pavlov's dogs and am hoping and looking for a treat when I get to the other end, if ever.:-) We as you can tell, are and will be doing ALOT of walking, since we will have no car, but it is fun and a nice change. CJ does have a van or car available at work to use if we need to at times.
Back on the train and to Chinatown again for a late night supper of cashew chicken, pot stickers, spring rolls and some mango pudding. It was all very tasty and we really enjoyed our conversation with a young man who jumped in to help the waitress when we ordered our food. He was eating and then going out to his friends Norge bar to have a few beers. His english was very good. We passed by a very full Pachinko Parlor and will have to try and visit one soon to see what that is all about. My guess it is a japanes casino.
Walked back home,and had one more climb for the day up the steps where I was greeted by a giant toad just before reaching our back gate who was trying very hard to climb the vertical cement wall. Once inside I had a much needed hot shower, some tiger balm on my aching feet and to bed I went. I was pooped after 8 hours or more of walking in flip flops.
So as you can see it was a busy day from morning till night and one I enjoyed immensely.
More tomorrow (these will get shorter ....I hope ?)
Peace
Karla and CJ
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment