pros, cons

what i love about japan:

– the old men are adorrrrrable. i want to hug them all. but i won’t because they’re probably ancient and will break.
– in october, a certain tree explodes with little bunches of orange blossoms and fill the air with their most amazing scent. the only thing i can use to describe this sweet smell is pez- it smells the way pez tastes. you can’t escape from it; you don’t want to. it’s the best thing about fall. and i have a feeling fall will be my favorite season around here.  
– watching the old people tend their farms.
– fish markets.
– the produce. pineapples are so sweet. they have kiwi berries! and you can pretty much guarantee whatever you eat will be devoid of toxins and junk.
– thrift stores. ohhemmgee, i have missed thrifting. when you walk into a thrift store in japan, you just know  you’re going to find some ancient, priceless relic. or some out-of-this-world fashion disaster waiting to pounce on your unsuspecting but adventurous sense of style. <— hasn’t happened to me, yet. thank God.
– pear green tea. srsly, you haven’t lived until you’ve had this tea. i plan on mixing it with my kombucha the moment i lay my hands on a SCOBY. 
– finding horrible, scary, tasty, weird candy and snacks. my most favorite has been the melon shake (it’s like they shoved a cantaloupe/honeydew melon hybrid into a can and my life will never be the same. ever.) or their version of caramel popcorn. imagine: packing peanuts shaped like macaroni, tasting like caramel goodness. 
– the look on the japanese faces when mal bows and says, “domo arigato”. they are so impressed and he is so proud of himself. 
– the simple fact that it is october 9th and only just beginning to cool down. seventy-three degrees just 73 days before christmas?! yes, please! also, that whole matching 73 thing was totally coincidence. 
– new friends and new community. it’s harrrrrd being the new girl. luckily, i’m not the only new girl and everyone has been gracious and welcoming. 
– my culture club! once a month, my group of about eight spouses gets together with the same number of japanese women (some of them have been part of this culture club since the 1940s!) to share our culture and form friendships. d’awwww. <3

what i do not love about japan: 

– cicadas. or, as it’s pronounced in australia, cicawdas. anyway. you guys, the noise they make? ear-splitting. and when you have hundreds of them calling to their lovers and engaging in adult cicada activity? grosss and ear-splitting. and when you have all of that at three-o’clock in the morning? alien invasion. i kid you not.
– their disdain and fear of tattoos. yeah, dude. i made my four-year-old get a tattoo. and join a gang. 
– street signs. they read like sentences. so, you’ll see six posted signs (in, say, two rows of three) pretty much just telling you not to park on the street and please go 30kph. also, traffic is like never-ending rush hour.
– when the my look of total confusion is ignored and the little, japanese lady behind the counter continues to blab on as if i am also japanese and understand every word she says. awkward, “ummmm” *signs something to show I DO NOT UNDERSTAND* “ummmm.”  moment is awkward.
– squatty potties. nuf’ said. 
–  it takes one hour to drive 30 miles. because there are stop lights on every.single.block.
– the distance i am from all my friends and loved ones in the states. you’re still in my heart and thoughts! love you!