Adventures Doing Stuff that would be Ho-Hum if I weren't Inept

This is my car, Touto. He is also my ticket to freedom in this small town--too bad I'm terrified of him.

It's not just the riding on the other side of the road that terrifies me, it's also the fact that Japan is very, very easy to get lost in. Almost none of the streets have numbers or names posted, so if you're receiving directions, you have to be able to identify landmarks instead. Given that I consistently found myself lost in Utah, with its neat grid pattern of streets, I think my fear of driving in Japan is justified. But on the other hand, there's only so long that you can sit in an apartment and contemplate your future before scaring yourself insane. This is how unabombers and 50-hour Call of Duty marathoners happen, people.

So yesterday I went out shopping.  A Japanese girl who stopped at a light next to me nudged her friend and they both stared at me until the light changed; Mogi-san says they hardly ever seen foreigners here. I soon returned the favor in the market, where I stood in the middle of aisles and waited for someone to buy something so I could watch how they did it. I guess supermarkets are similar the world over, but there were some differences, for instance, they're very green here so you don't use bags for your veggies and you should bring canvas bags for your groceries. You also don't hand the money to the cashier; you put it in a little plate and push it towards them. Things aren't pricey until you try to get things that require livestock, like dairy or meat. Because Japan has so little free land, raising livestock is expensive.

~~ Speaking of green, they have you separate all your trash into "burnable," "non-burnable," and plastic. And then you have to write your name on your trash bags so if your trash is incorrectly organized your neighbors can bring it back to your doorstep as a public censure. Yeesh. ~~

After the grocery store I found a hyaku-en shop, the equivalent of our dollar stores only infinitely cooler. Everything there is 100 yen, which is about $1. I got soup mixes and dishes and towels, all for around $7. Needless to say, I know where I'm going to be spending most of my shopping days.

After that I got lost. I'm worried about any of you who didn't see that coming. Luckily I had nothing to do, so I just kept driving in concentric circles (NOT making that up) until I saw something familiar and could make my way back from there. Whew. I feel like a mouse, making swift forays into the world only to dart back to safety at the first sign of wind or a big shadow. And I have to admit, I miss the stereotypical "American" diet. Gone are the days when I barely had to step outside before I had a hamburger in hand. :) But no worries; today Mogi-san introduced me to a restaurant where you can pay 250 yen and get as many drinks as you like (and the food is reasonable, too). Needless to say, I will be staying there as much as possible. While we were there I tried "Calpis", a soda with a milky color. Mogi-san says it has cultures in it for health benefits--trust the Japanese to make soda healthier and slightly unsettling!