Honestly, when will these Japanese ever learn that staring at a foreigner, especially this one, will earn them a stare right back?
So I've dealt with this for quite a while, and it's one of my little pet peeves about living in Japan because I'm paranoid by nature. ANYWAY. So I had to go to the bank today, which meant walking to someplace other than my apartment right after getting off the train. I'm relatively used to this, but I think the people along that road aren't used to seeing foreigners. Well, all of them except the meat vendors who remember me because how many foreigners move to Seya anyway? I bought karaage from them my first day staying in my apartment. Really nice folk. I really should go back there.
I'm walking and getting stared at and trying my darnedest to just listen to my music and ignore it, but at some point this attractive guy smoking a cigarette and wearing a fedora (I've come to realize I have a soft spot for fedoras) eyeballs me as we pass each other on opposite sides of the street. Now, I don't know about you, but I don't get eyeballed much. So here I am, grinning like I'm mad, and walking to the bank.
Fastforward to after I've picked up some sushi for dinner from the local sushi place as well as some toilet paper from my favorite little drug store. I turn the corner to my street and lo and behold, there's this really attractive (stress on the really!) crouching outside the building next to mine smoking a cigarette. What is with the attractive Japanese guys smoking cigarettes?! I HATE cigarettes!
ANYWAY. So this guy turns his head, sees me coming, and STARES. Now, I've actually got my glasses on so I can SEE that he's looking at me. Of course, having lived in Japan for half a year now I've learned to just put my head down and act like I didn't see him. The road is SO interesting, don't you think? Well, temptation is really hard to fight and within a second or two I'm looking up at him again and GEEZ. He's STILL staring at me.
I looked away as I went up the stairs, but between the stairs there's open air and he was still watching me. At the top of the stairs? STILL WATCHING. Now, all these thoughts tear through my head like a tornado, but I somehow managed to keep my face straight and simply stare back. After awkwardly pulling out my keys and nervously glancing back to see if he was still staring (thankfully, he'd stopped), I got inside. I made SUPER sure to say "Tadaima", which essentially means "I'm home!", when I entered the house. To any observant Japanese person, this would show that although I'm a foreigner, I speak Japanese. BWUAHAHAHA.
Sadly, once I closed my door I freaked out thinking "Well, why did he stare at me the whole way up?!" My friend summed it up for me nicely. It's one of three things. He either 1) doesn't like foreigners, 2) found me attractive, or 3) is very curious about foreigners. Now I know what you're all thinking: It could totally be MORE than just one of those three!
Sorry to break it to all you who root for me getting a boyfriend, but I'm pretty sure this is the same hot guy I had a staring match with shortly after I moved into my apartment. If it's the same guy, then he has a wife and a three or four year old daughter. He looks WAAAYYYYYY too young. I'd say he's only in his early twenties. Like, only around my age! GEEZ.
Oh, and not to mention I saw a mother who had three young boys following her (all obviously brothers) and had another one on the way. She looked like it might be twins. Well, that or one of those watermelons we get in America. Not those small Japanese ones here. lol. Oh, and the mother? She looked only to be in her later twenties. I don't think she was in her thirties. O_o
Monday, August 30, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
First Day Back
So I realized today when I got four emails that my friend's Livejournal had updated that I really need to update more. Since I have time and I'm not doing anything pressing, I figured I'd sit down and type something up.
Yesterday was my first day back! Summer vacation was great because I got all nice and rested and got a lot of creative things done, though not so much travel/adventure-wise. I think I've come to the conclusion that I don't like going on adventures unless if someone else is going with me of I have an intense desire to go. That, and if I happen to know about it... This still doesn't make up for the fact that I haven't gone to the Studio Ghibli Museum yet, though I believe the conscientious fear that I will blow my entire paycheck at the gift shop is prevalent.
SO! First day back. It was great, because I got to see my fifth graders at my largest school again and damn were they cute. Anri, this SUPER tall fifth grade girl who is almost my height (hence the emphasis on SUPER!!!) was super cute as always. She's one of those kids that really likes me. Maybe she likes the fact that I'm taller than her even though I'm a girly? That, or maybe it's just my totally charming personality. :3
Atsushi was being rowdy again, which got me a little upset but I let it blow over because hey, it's the first day back having English class. Who ISN'T going to try to be a buttface, right? Yoh had really red eyes, but he participated in class and was really good. What a sweetie. Oh, and there was yet again a boy who repeated in a weird voice. When they say Hello to me really weird when I first start up class, I look and stare quietly for a long second before saying Hello again. Boy does that put them back in line. It's like, honestly? Do you want me to say Konnichiwa and butcher it like any American who hasn't heard the word properly pronounced before? O_o Then again, the kids probably don't care. The adults do. D:
OMG. And Gota, who lived in Laguna Beach for 1st through 2nd grade and speaks a LOT of English (and apparently goes to an American school every Saturday) was super excited when we were playing the weather game! He's so adorable! I mean, he's not as cute as some of the other kids (because I have some child-model cute kids, though I may be biased. haha.), but the fact that Gota is just THAT excited about English really fills up my heart.
Ah, yes. And we were doing weather yesterday. Hahaha.
Well, aside from all the happy thoughts, when I got home and sat down (because boy did I need to), I realized that a muscle in my left foot had been overworked. It's probably from all the walking I did, and in shoes I hadn't worn in a month and a half and was happy not to. I worked on the muscle while watching The Princess and the Frog, which is a really cute movie (though the songs didn't move me as much as older Disney films). I kept off my foot mostly for the rest of the night and now that it's morning (about 11am JST) it feels loads better, though it still hurts a bit. I'm going to keep off it for the rest of today as well. Good thing I don't have to go anywhere. :D
Yesterday was my first day back! Summer vacation was great because I got all nice and rested and got a lot of creative things done, though not so much travel/adventure-wise. I think I've come to the conclusion that I don't like going on adventures unless if someone else is going with me of I have an intense desire to go. That, and if I happen to know about it... This still doesn't make up for the fact that I haven't gone to the Studio Ghibli Museum yet, though I believe the conscientious fear that I will blow my entire paycheck at the gift shop is prevalent.
SO! First day back. It was great, because I got to see my fifth graders at my largest school again and damn were they cute. Anri, this SUPER tall fifth grade girl who is almost my height (hence the emphasis on SUPER!!!) was super cute as always. She's one of those kids that really likes me. Maybe she likes the fact that I'm taller than her even though I'm a girly? That, or maybe it's just my totally charming personality. :3
Atsushi was being rowdy again, which got me a little upset but I let it blow over because hey, it's the first day back having English class. Who ISN'T going to try to be a buttface, right? Yoh had really red eyes, but he participated in class and was really good. What a sweetie. Oh, and there was yet again a boy who repeated in a weird voice. When they say Hello to me really weird when I first start up class, I look and stare quietly for a long second before saying Hello again. Boy does that put them back in line. It's like, honestly? Do you want me to say Konnichiwa and butcher it like any American who hasn't heard the word properly pronounced before? O_o Then again, the kids probably don't care. The adults do. D:
OMG. And Gota, who lived in Laguna Beach for 1st through 2nd grade and speaks a LOT of English (and apparently goes to an American school every Saturday) was super excited when we were playing the weather game! He's so adorable! I mean, he's not as cute as some of the other kids (because I have some child-model cute kids, though I may be biased. haha.), but the fact that Gota is just THAT excited about English really fills up my heart.
Ah, yes. And we were doing weather yesterday. Hahaha.
Well, aside from all the happy thoughts, when I got home and sat down (because boy did I need to), I realized that a muscle in my left foot had been overworked. It's probably from all the walking I did, and in shoes I hadn't worn in a month and a half and was happy not to. I worked on the muscle while watching The Princess and the Frog, which is a really cute movie (though the songs didn't move me as much as older Disney films). I kept off my foot mostly for the rest of the night and now that it's morning (about 11am JST) it feels loads better, though it still hurts a bit. I'm going to keep off it for the rest of today as well. Good thing I don't have to go anywhere. :D
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Thunder Dolphin!
Ok. Let me summarize my summer vacation for you: My friend Michelle came to Japan to work with JET! We hung out for one day with one of her friends, Mio, before she shipped off to Fukuoka. I went to my favorite school's summer festival, which was awesome. I wore my Yukata, got lots of compliments on that, and danced the Obon Odori, which also earned me compliments FROM MY PRINCIPAL. That was epic! Oh! And my old roommate Clarissa, one of my best friends ever, came to visit me for a whole week! We porked out on good food, ate lots of desserts, and went to 2 onsen (hot springs) together! We also went shrine hunting (she needed omamori (a good luck charm) for her co-workers and as souvenirs). Suffice to say: Lots of fun, spent a lot of money. I also went to what I later found out was the largest anime/manga convention in Japan, and 500,000 people go to it within the 3 day span it's open. It was at Tokyo Big Site and it was crowded and hot and stuffy. It was worth going to, because I found some really cute keychains and a super cute pair of earrings.
Through Clarissa I met her friend Veronica, who later invited me to Tokyo Dome City, which has an amusement park. Pay 4000 yen and you get an all day wrist pass that lets you onto all the rides. There was one ride called "Thunder Dolphin". I just HAD to laugh when I read that. I mean, c'mon. Thunder Dolphin?
Anyway, we went on all the rides that looked worth while. Thunder Dolphin was one of them. I think we would've ridden it all day if 1) it weren't so hot that we wanted to go on a water ride and 2) if the line weren't so long and there were other rides to experiment. It's one of those roller coasters that, if you've taken physics, makes you really happy to know that centripetal force is going to keep you on those tracks. The first drop is really steep, and when you're in the car you sincerely feel like you're making a beeline for the ground, it's so steep. It's about as steep as the drop on Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain, but much shorter so the G-force at the bottom doesn't affect you as drastically. All in all, a great roller coaster ride! We went on it twice. It was even better the second time. It's a real shame that it's so short.
We had lunch at a burger joint that had a black guy working on cutting up the burger patties and shaping them. I thought that was really random and really interesting, and also wondering just how much Japanese the guy spoke. I got the Salsa Burger, which was surprisingly delicious. The patties weren't huge, but they were juicy and SO much better than having a McDonald's burger. I really wish a good burger joint. I think that's the main food item I miss while here in Japan, aside from Freebirds Burritos. Hahaha.
Veronica brought her friend Nick with her. He's a short haole boy with hay colored hair and pretty dark blue eyes. He commented that I was very observant, to which I had to ask if he found that weird or disturbing in any way. I think being as observant as I am (and this is mostly for random things that aren't really important) could possibly freak someone out. They don't make the same connections I do, though really it's kind of like looking at a math problem or figuring your way around a map. I don't know, but either way it was refreshing to have him compliment me. :D
We all went our separate ways after the park, but I was really glad I'd gone. It was a really hot day, and normally I would've just stayed inside with the air conditioner going and read books or talked to friends on the internet. It's amazing what going out and being social can do. :D
Two days later, my friend Florence from UCSB came down to Yokohama to hang out before she shipped off to Osaka. She's working for the same company as me! We went around Vivre, this really big mall near Yokohama station, and ate Okonomiyaki for dinner. For dessert, we went to this really awesome tart shop Clarissa and I found while she was here. It's called La Maison (www.la-maison.jp). We were helped by a really cute Japanese guy, and since there was a really long line waiting to get in we ordered our tarts to go (in some seriously cute to-go boxes) and sat at some benches in the basement food court. It's funny. With our powers combined, the both of us can figure out what we're being asked by the clerks at shops and restaurants. hahaha.
Through Clarissa I met her friend Veronica, who later invited me to Tokyo Dome City, which has an amusement park. Pay 4000 yen and you get an all day wrist pass that lets you onto all the rides. There was one ride called "Thunder Dolphin". I just HAD to laugh when I read that. I mean, c'mon. Thunder Dolphin?
Anyway, we went on all the rides that looked worth while. Thunder Dolphin was one of them. I think we would've ridden it all day if 1) it weren't so hot that we wanted to go on a water ride and 2) if the line weren't so long and there were other rides to experiment. It's one of those roller coasters that, if you've taken physics, makes you really happy to know that centripetal force is going to keep you on those tracks. The first drop is really steep, and when you're in the car you sincerely feel like you're making a beeline for the ground, it's so steep. It's about as steep as the drop on Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain, but much shorter so the G-force at the bottom doesn't affect you as drastically. All in all, a great roller coaster ride! We went on it twice. It was even better the second time. It's a real shame that it's so short.
We had lunch at a burger joint that had a black guy working on cutting up the burger patties and shaping them. I thought that was really random and really interesting, and also wondering just how much Japanese the guy spoke. I got the Salsa Burger, which was surprisingly delicious. The patties weren't huge, but they were juicy and SO much better than having a McDonald's burger. I really wish a good burger joint. I think that's the main food item I miss while here in Japan, aside from Freebirds Burritos. Hahaha.
Veronica brought her friend Nick with her. He's a short haole boy with hay colored hair and pretty dark blue eyes. He commented that I was very observant, to which I had to ask if he found that weird or disturbing in any way. I think being as observant as I am (and this is mostly for random things that aren't really important) could possibly freak someone out. They don't make the same connections I do, though really it's kind of like looking at a math problem or figuring your way around a map. I don't know, but either way it was refreshing to have him compliment me. :D
We all went our separate ways after the park, but I was really glad I'd gone. It was a really hot day, and normally I would've just stayed inside with the air conditioner going and read books or talked to friends on the internet. It's amazing what going out and being social can do. :D
Two days later, my friend Florence from UCSB came down to Yokohama to hang out before she shipped off to Osaka. She's working for the same company as me! We went around Vivre, this really big mall near Yokohama station, and ate Okonomiyaki for dinner. For dessert, we went to this really awesome tart shop Clarissa and I found while she was here. It's called La Maison (www.la-maison.jp). We were helped by a really cute Japanese guy, and since there was a really long line waiting to get in we ordered our tarts to go (in some seriously cute to-go boxes) and sat at some benches in the basement food court. It's funny. With our powers combined, the both of us can figure out what we're being asked by the clerks at shops and restaurants. hahaha.
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