My Apartment

What does $620 a month buy you in Oji, Tokyo in Japan?

A week in pictures

Resturant Window

Pigon bus stop

Rice in early summer

Just a Picture

A picture of a moonlit river is the final product of: 

The night I needed a bicycle for my friend to ride. The abandoned bicycle found in the bicycle-room of my apartment. The Leatherman used to pry the lock from its back tire. The night of frogs and temples that followed.

The blown out tire on my way to school. The old two-wheeled friend that had to be retired. The abandoned bicycle that came to the rescue.

The night the policemen stopped me for riding without a light. The lies about where and how the abandoned bicycle and I had met. The call to the police station to confirm my lies. The odds I beat when my lies checked out as the truth.

The abandoned bicycle left haphazardly in the middle of a dark sidewalk to take this picture. The old lady who gave me a piece of her mind because of this carelessness. The moment of calm when I finally take this picture.

TSUKIJI

Can you find the whale sashimi?

Ice-cream Claw Machine

You are looking at an ice-cream claw machine!
(Imagine a freezer with a claw machine on top of it.)

Hospital Cafe and Bar

Most people try rather hard to stay out of the hospital, so why dine in a hospital themed restaurant? The answer, because your in Japan.
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Though the restaurant does not go as far as to have its patrons dine while reclined in hospital beds, the overall theme of the restaurant is quite medical. Like most places in Japan you remove your shoes upon entering the restaurant and put on, I assume, slippers similar to those one would wear in a Japanese hospital. You are then led to your table by a “doctor” or “nurse”.

The menu contained proper descriptions of normal food and drinks, unlike Kagawa. However at the back of the menu there was a special section, from here “patients” could order medical services. Though I was tempted to order the full medical check, its price of about $15 and the restaurants strict no sexual harassment policy changed my mind.

Since I had already had dinner at a normal dining establishment, I merely ordered a drink. The drink I chose was the mystery drink. As you can see it came out looking very medicinal; though the yellow liquid in one of the beakers made me question the odd noises I had heard coming from the kitchen before my drink came out.

While enjoying my mysterious drink, the “nurse” brought a few photo albums to my table. Inside were various photos of the restaurants staff. Though culture changes a few things, awkward teenagers experimenting with odd clothes and piercings is the same the world over; though Japanese teens seem to do it little more strangely and fashionably than their western counterparts.

Before leaving the ingredients of my drink were reviled to me; the yellow liquid alas was merely ginger ale. After paying the bill the doctor handed me my prescription, which contained a few cough drops and two nice little note; one in English another in Japanese asking me to have a good night and come back again soon. Smiling, I said thank you and knowing I had a long train ride home I slipped off to use the restroom.

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Blessedly it did not involve a catheter.