Vegetable Cravings

Back when I was taking Karate, I would get serious meat cravings. I was working out enough that I would look in a meat counter at raw meat and actually salivate.

Here in Japan, that happens too, but it's with vegetables. Although the Japanese diet is very healthy (I've lost weight since coming here), it's hard to get any big servings of vegetables -- this ain't California. When I look at a display of nice tomatoes or other yummy veggies, I completely have the salivate reaction.

Veggies here are really nice but ridiculously expensive ($3 per bunch for Broccoli anyone?) so I'm always on the lookout for more. The other day in a British pub I actually ordered the ¥400 "vegatable stick" (aka carrot stick) appetizer just to get some fiber. On the way home the other night, I bought a package of cherry tomatoes (¥380) and looking at them in the store I was totally salivating.

The only vaguely affordable vegetable is carrots -- they're only $1 or so each (Japanese carrots are very thick but short, so they have more volume than a single U.S. carrot).

Shaker

Whee, we had a nice quake last night: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2007xpa9.php

It very distinctly made the building I'm living in (narrow and tall like most of Tokyo!) sway. As always, I woke up knowing it was because there was an earthquake. Another milestone of living here -- my first quake!

Leo

Found a permanent apartment!

Today was get-daragged-all-over-Meguro-ku-by-Hasegawa-san day. I needed to find a permanent apartment, my temporary place is coming up for renewal again, so I found an rental agent this week and also decided to look for a place together with a friend from work, Matt Smith (1-BR and 2-BR apartments are almost the same price in the part of Tokyo I was looking in).

Today we found one, on the second place we saw! It's near Meguro-eki, halfway between that and Nakameguro-eki, right on the Meguro river:

From Tokyo

It's on the twelfth floor of a high-rise, not really my preferred situation but the location is super-convenient (it'll be an easy 10-15 minute bike commute) and the views are pretty good. It's on an end, so it has a window, and here Matt demonstrates that the room is, in fact, wider than your outstretched arms:

From Tokyo

I don't know yet when I can move in, but hopefully it's before my trip back to the states on the 26th!

Engrish in Action

This is a clothing store in Shibuya:

From Tokyo

I was trying to figure out, what's the opposite of "casually casual"?

Mt. Takao hike

Today and did a great hike, up Mt. Takao and Mt. Shobatakeshiro. There were some fantastic views of the sunset from the second summit and a stumble across a suspension bridge and a dam in the dark at the end!



For the full story, check out the photos!.