Watch Your Ranguage!!!

      Sooo, this week I did my regular grocery shopping, but tried an all-Japanese market.  (Lower prices!)
     Trouble is, they are crowded with odd assortments of Asian foods, in a completely different layout from American stores, and not one English word in sight (except for...Coca-Cola...YAY!!)

     Rather than bump my basket into every customer in the very skinny aisles, I went to the lady at the cash register and, and asked, in my best Japanese, "Where is the rice, please?"  She looked at me with an odd expression.
      I repeated, "Koban?" holding my palms up, hoping that was the universal sign for "Where?"  and not "I am a serial shoplifter."

        Now I notice other clerks and customers turning to stare at me.
   
     Again,  I patiently try the whole sentence in my newly practiced Japanese..."Koban kudasai"...trying again to convey "I-iii neeeeeed riiiiiice, pleeeeassssse."  The wide-eyed check-out lady points outside.
      Now I am confused.  I open my purse and dig...as they all back a few steps away.  I dig out my Japanese grocery pictures.   I emphatically point at the one that shows rice.


     Now the little old ladies cover their mouths and all giggle together...and when I share my picture with customers near me, I just produce more mouth-covered giggles.  One younger woman has mercy on me and speaks, in elementary-music-to-my-ears English, "You are saying you need the POUREESE (police)....lice is GOHAN...poureese is KOBAN."

I smile, I bow, I nod.
I buy my bag of lice.
I really do need to keep my reading glasses on.

Hey...I'm trying.

You don't hear me pitching a fit when half the population here calls me Wren.

Ohhh...and hate to point and laugh, but.....too late....I did...at this sign:

Okay, maybe one more giggle...

This receipt is from the only English-attempting grocery store that is within biking distance. It opened in August.

Yes, I really am purchasing Cram Chowdah now...not a typo...their actual words.


Some of the family members are not letting the language barrier slow them down at all.
The little lady of our house, JE, is having a lot more fun shopping than Mom these days.
Here she is trying on crazy outfits in a dressing room...


Here she is with a school friend modeling sunglasses...


JE finds fun wherever she goes!!  Here she is with a massive pumpkin at a weekend festival...we don't usually see these in Tokyo.

And here she is getting silly with a lion (maybe Aslan??)...I honestly don't know where she was when she found him...
 

We are loving the Fall weather in Tokyo now...no more humidity, cool breezes, and hovering between 65 and 70 degrees every day!!  Makes strolling and biking a lot more pleasant!!!

Ohhh and you must look at my happy little patio...we cooked out again last weekend for G's birthday.
Burgers, chicken wings, corn on the cob, french fries...!!!!

 

G has a great group of new friends also, and we had fun celebrating the big 14th birthday with a few of  them last week.   After enjoying the cookout, G and three of his friends played on the PS3, then took a birthday cake break.

After cake, all the kids, boys and girls, played a late game of manhunt until the whole gang finally all crashed!!!  A good weekend!!!

G's game room

Here are the boys after they demolished the birthday cake...


Sorry, I really wasn't burning dinner in this shot....I guess I smeared butter or chicken grease all over my iPhone camera lens....

   
Meanwhile, the girls had fun "kitchen dancin!"

(Yes, to my old neighbors, the tradition lives on in Tokyo!!)

Later the girls watched TV in JE"s game room, before retiring to their bunks...

JE's game and TV room

In JE's bedroom

     Okay on to other shopping...the on-line kind...one I am appreciating more every day!!!
My daughter, JE, was highly offended that I did not put up a picture last month of one of HER favorite and most useful things.
     So here is what she decided on...a really great thing for the somewhat smaller rooms we are living in now! We think this is the world's best closet organizer pictured below:
   
       She uses it for scarves, belts, gloves, socks, jewelry (in clear ziplocks) socks, and even craft supplies, also sorted into ziplocks.
    This handy space saver is great for keeping kids things organized and off the floor.  In the past, we used them more for organizing toys we got tired of raking off every surface...remember Webkinz?  We could still see all their little faces, so JE thought it was a great way to display them.
     I have one of these in my office that I use for supplies...everything from extra pens, pencil, paperclips and post-its, to tape, wrapping supplies, gluesticks, and staplers.  It keeps everything in view and easy to find!!!

OHH, and yes, it seems many of the Favorite Things photos are not opening in the United States.  I am sorry, and the WebMaster assures me they are working through this issue for me.  Meanwhile, I will include them, as they do open in Asia....I don't know this technology stuff....

I am still working every week to get my family, mainly the husband-san, out of the culinary rut.  If I did not intervene, we would have only frequented 3 restaurants in this foodie-mecca called Tokyo.  Once a week, it is Andy's Fish, once a week it is Pizza-kaya, and once a week it is Salsita for delicious burritos in Hiroo.  Don't get me wrong...LOVE all three!!!  Just want to jazz things up a bit while we are living the international life.  So here is husband's idea of jazzing things up:

The new and ONLY Outback in Tokyo

Here was my suggestion for trying the local thing:

Can't read name, can't read menu = ADVENTURE!!

Here is what turned out to be a DELICIOUS compromise last weekend:

This excellent little Singaporean restaurant is called Hainan Jeffan Shokudo, located in the Azabu-Juban neighborhood.

I loved the simple elegant style of the restaurant, the very helpful staff, and the little printed cards with English instructions on how to best enjoy their signature dish of Hainanese chicken with three distinct sauces.

All this eating was starting to catch up with me, so I have started running again.  I found a nice place 5 minutes from home that has all my familiar workout equipment.  

Still...no one speaks English, and I have committed NUMEROUS footwear infractions, with poor little Japanese women chasing me as I plod through in giant tennis shoes from their gym into their locker room. 

 Shoes are a BIG no-no, so they gasp and bow and suck air through their teeth with a fava-bean noise, saying "No shoe...no shoe!!!!"  After walking briskly ahead of the shoe-gestapo for another minute, I realize she is NOT sneezing and obediently stop to remove my size-9s.  She hands me a doll-sized pair of slippers, into which I manage to wedge a couple of toes so that I can shuffle the rest of the way to my locker.

You get the idea.

Size 9s do not exist in Tokyo.

Okay, it is late, and I am tired, so enough fun for one post.  

I can't wait to tell you about my Princess-for-a Day experience today, so I'll be back soon!!

For now, konbanwa...or goodnight...from Tokyo!!