Are You My Mother?

Usually flying to Japan involves loosing a day. You leave say, Sunday morning, and you arrive in Japan Monday night. You are so tired, that your first day in Japan is really Tuesday.

Before I tell you about my first day in Japan, let me just say that the trip started out a bit more eventful than I care for. Mechanical difficulties held up the plane that was taking us to Seattle, so the lovely people at the airport were clicking away trying to find alternate routes. I can't remember that movie scene where the attendant is clicking clicking clicking.... but that is what it was like. One suggestion was to fly back to Atlanta, then to NYC, then to Japan. Yuck. Or we could hang out in Seattle for two days. We decided to do that option, but also to just hope that the flight to Tokyo would be delayed. So we flew to Seattle, and ran through the terminal hoping to catch the next flight. We got to the desk, and the lady checked us in and said good things happen to nice people. Our bags and ourselves arrived in Tokyo on Monday night as planned. Tim's boss was also flying to Japan this week, and his flight was also delayed, but that meant he had to fly to NYC, then to London, spend the night, then around to Japan that way, and his luggage did not arrive with him. I consider us very fortunate.

Onto the first day in Japan.
We live in this building, in Shibuya, which is a part of Tokyo.

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I slept in, and then I unpacked, and realized that there are a few things I would like to have. Such as a container for my makeup and other toiletries. At home, I have little baskets, but I didn't pack those. So I decided to head out to the store to pick up a few things, and then to get some food.
I haven't found a Target or a Walmart in Tokyo. The Japanese version of Target is called Loft, but you don't pronounce it that way... you pronounce it Roft-o. It is a multi-level store in downtown Shibuya where you can get stationary, furniture, bedding, household items, etc etc. What I like about this store is there is one sign in english that explains what is on each floor. I needed to find some hand soap. Imagine walking down an aisle that has bottles, and you have no idea what they say. You are wondering if it is hand soap, or lotion, or shave gel, or shampoo, with no real way of knowing. Finally I located a Berts Bees section of the store. English labels! I can read! It's a miracle! So I got some hand soap. Buying a little plastic bin to put my makeup into was no big deal, no need for literacy.
Then I went onto the grocery store. The one I went to happens to be under the train station, and is called Tokyu. The amazing thing about the grocery store is that it is more about prepared foods, and things that look kind of like our deli counters, only way fancier, than it is about buying stuff you cook yourself. The food that you can cook is about 3 very very short aisles. The rest of the store is counters full of food they have made, like delicious cakes, and hand made breads, and meats and other things. I wanted to buy something to make myself lunch with, so I wanted some lettuce, and a cucumber and some bread and some lunch meat. I cannot read any labels in this store, none are in english. So I am wandering the produce section and I see lettuces. However, I don't know what kinds they are, because I can't read any labels. So I decide to just buy the cheapest head of lettuce. It was still about $10. Then I am wandering trying to find something that looks like a cucumber.

What does a cucumber look like?

Are you a cucumber?

No.... you're an eggplant!

Are you a cucumber?

No.... you're a squash!

Are you a cucumber?

No.... you're a zucchini (aka a green squash)!

But I must admit, I am really torn over this, because it looks the most like a cucumber.....

Are you a cucumber?

Sort of....

My sister informed me this was an English cucumber, which is why it was so skinny and not quite convincing.

So I finally decide to risk it with this sort of vaguely familiar cucumber. At this point, I can't remember how much money this stuff costs, and Tim said that grocery stores only take cash, so I go up to the register, and see people paying with plastic. I decide I will just pay with plastic, and then I can get the rest of the stuff I wanted. I had to ask someone where to find the drinks, and instead of a whole aisle devoted to beverages, there was only two shelves. I picked one of the three salad dressings that had a label with an English word on it. I hope I bought yogurt and not cottage cheese, but it is hard to tell.

I went to check out, and the cashier bows and says something, probably like, did you find everything ok, do you have any coupons or rewards points, would you like paper or plastic.... I have no idea. I am trying to remember the word for thank you. Arrigato. I know that isn't how you spell it, but that is how it sounds.

I walked home with my four bags. Here is the route I took to get to the two stores and back.... I forgot to label the boxes. The one at the bottom of the map is the apartment building, the one at the top is Loft, and the one in the middle is the grocery store and the train station.