Tuesday 26 August 2014

Struggles of a train commuter, being broke, and strange food


Hey ho!

Long time, no see, huh? I've been so busy these past days, and when I get home I just want to eat, shower and sleep. I haven't found the energy to blog, but tonight I'm pulling through!
Another problem is that I simply don't know what to write. There's so much I want to tell you about and show you, both positive, negative and just plain weird stuff. I wish I had a hidden camera and microphone I could wear everyday and just make daily, live updates. Those of you who are friends with me on facebook have probably seen all my "Daily life in Tokyo"-statuses I make whenever I experience something weird, that's too small to blog about, but still worth mentioning. If this blog gets its own facebook page, I could probably make such updates from there. Or I could blog like it was a type of diary, like: 

Tuesday 26.08: 
On the train from Shibuya to Ikebukuro today there was this super annoying lovey dovey couple who couldn't stop touching and giggling. They even scratched each others mosquito bites, what the hell. I prayed for them to get off at every stop, but of course they were getting off at the same station as me.

Later on the train from Ikebukuro to Fujimidai, there was two women (mothers I suppose) who brought along the impressive amount of seven squealing kids. I think they were seven, too many to count. They were in the age of 3 to 6, and were all shouting and pointing and climbing and falling. Most of the passengers got annoyed and moved further back in the train, but I have such a soft spot for kids that I let them sit beside me and just smiled when they stepped on my foot. (It actually hurt.)

Today I had my first sensation of being broke. After spending all my cash in a re-sale bookstore and buying a birthday present for my friend (Hello, Simon), I had only small coins left, which was hardly enough to use on a wending machine. I can't use my card in most shops in Japan, so I have to take out cash from an ATM that accepts foreign cards, which can be hard to find. At least I didn't find one today, but I hope I find one before lunch time tomorrow. My poor, hungry belly.... 

I'm starting to be a lot more comfortable with Japanese cuisine. I mean, it's not like any of the food have changed, but my attitude towards it have. At the beginning I felt I had to eat everything I was served, regardless if I liked it or not, in order to be polite. Now I've gotten over my fear of saying that I dislike something, especially at home. I think my politeness gave my host family more trouble than joy. I once overheard my host father tell my host mother "Niko ate a lot today, I think she actually liked the food. We should serve this more often". I felt really guilty. They've been trying this whole time to make me feel at home and comfortable, and I didn't even help by saying what food I like. Another thing to note is that I haven't tasted most Japanese dishes yet, so I'm still learning. I sometimes go on a bummer or two when it comes to food, like stuff that looked delicious but tasted horrible etc. I also get surprised by really tasty food I haven't heard about before, so I still need time before I can really tell a Japanese what food I like and not.
So far I think you can't go wrong with: 

Takoyaki! Actually, you can go wrong with Takoyaki. They sometimes put a lot you don't like on top of them, so be careful. Also, it's a matter of personal taste. My friend Sarah thinks it's the worst Japanese dish there is.

Onigiri! It's just rice, so have no fear! (Once again, be careful of extra come-along-items that may taste....not so good.)

Omurice! It's an omelet + rice, so it's two safe things combined. Add some ketchup and it's universal!

Curry! Really, Japanese curry is unique. Can't be explained, must be tasted. Best curry there is.

Everything involving ramen (Chinese noodles) tends to be good-to-go.

If still in doubt and despair: Things that are broiled and fried usually taste good anyway, and there's a word for that! Yaki. So if something ends with -yaki, it's probably good. (Taiyaki, Takoyaki, Monoyaki, Teriyaki...)
Hmm, what else...
There's a lot more to share, but I'll take it one post at a time. Also, if you're like me and really thinks this blog needs pictures, stay strong! The problem is that in order to take pictures, you need a camera. I don't have a camera. I have a Norwegian not-so-smartphone with a camera quality bad enough for nightmares, and a strange Japanese payphone that's literally Asia's answer to Nokia. It may be able to take pictures, but it's not a smartphone, so I have no idea how to get those photos on the blog. 
The good news is that for the cameras sake (and my own sanity and social life) I'm getting a normal Japanese smartphone! Buying a proper phone in Japan is not an easy task though, especially if you're not fluent in the language. I'll probably have to get help from someone here, and I'll also have to find an ATM so I can pay for the thing. Challenges of being an immigrant. 

That's it for now! Do you guys have any wishes for what I should blog about next? 

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