Review Life and Recycle

"Would you like to review what your life should be...?" That is the quote on my new green recycle bins. I have been recycling since I was a teenager. I have been paying $14/month to recycle in TN for over a decade. However, recycling in Japan takes it to a whole other level. Notice the paper attached to my cabinet that I have to refer to daily to see what is being recycled that day, and how to deal with it. Water bottles are recycled separately from the cap of the water bottle. All labels have to be removed. Milk cartons have to be washed out, cut open to be flattened and dried, then wrapped with cord separately. This is just a few examples of the details. The hardest one to do by far is cleaning the poop out of diapers before you place them in the burnable trash!

Hannah Lee

Hannah loves her school! We really enjoy the 5 minute walk through the cute little neighborhood each morning. She comes home with a new art project every day. She also sings me the songs she learns each day. I also wanted to show you an example of the cute shorts they sell for the girls here. The culture loves Pandas here.

China Town and More Furniture

I got to experience a few streets of China Town today. It is a huge area that will take me the whole year to cover. The picture is me standing on the steps of an altar space. You can buy an incense stick for them to burn immediately (smells great!) and that allows you to sit in the space and pray. The ornamental details of the building are amazing! When I got home Tokyo Rentals delivered our dresser. Our bedroom set-up is finally complete. I also had money left in the budget to get the Kanji screen I wanted.

Things I have learned

The women who have ears pierced here have them pierced a little higher than we traditionally do ours in our first holes. I am told that ear piercing in general is a new thing for them. Tattoos are new for the general public as well. There is much taboo to get over because there are serious gangs that tattoo their whole bodies to signify their gangsterism. The bath houses have signs in Japanese and English that say "NO TATTOOS". Thank goodness I can cover up the one I have now.

The Japanese have cornered the market on cuteness. It is hard to find things that are not cute. Everyone young and old has "lucky charms" dangling from their phone or purse. It seems to be as necessary as a hand fan to keep the breeze going. Adam even bought him what I call a "man fan" which looks very Hawaiian and does not close up accordion style like mine does. Have I mentioned that I have not sweat this much since my all day sauna days at Gray Bear? I am told that Asians have a lower body temperature than us, which allows them to wear layers of clothes and even pants right now in the middle of all this heat!!! I have to believe it. My language tutor says Asians mouths are formed different from ours, which does not allow them to pronounce some of our letters.
Other than the Japanese, English speaking mothers from Hannah's school, Japanese people that I pass do not give me much attention and defiantly do not make eye contact. I understand this, because we don't give foreigners much attention in our country either. Also, Japan is the size of California, but has the population of the entire United States. It is just not possible with this many people to have that Southern hospitality that we are used to. However, everyone is very aware on the trains and buses that older people, and pregnant women get the sit down seats.
When you are receiving a business card from someone it is like they are giving you a gift. They use both their hands on the card, and bow to you. The culture here is extremely respectful. The hellos and goodbyes can be very long rituals. However there is no touching! No hugs, I have had very few handshakes. There is a "money plate" to lay your money in to give to any cashier. This is both respectful, and avoids hand contact with each other.
Japan is in love with America, and American music is what I hear playing in every store I go into. The English words that are printed on the clothing, cups, trash cans, etc here crack me up. They are philosophers and love to spread messages of hope and love. The children have to take English classes in Junior high. It is up to them after that point how much they absorb. The children as young as kindergarten walk to school by themselves! This is completely out of my comfort zone, but shows me how low the crime rate is here.

Sky Garden

Sunday we decided to get the 360 degree view of Yokohama from Sky Garden Tower. The elevator we had to take was the fastest in the world (40 seconds to the top). My ears popped several times. The view was amazing as I sipped my iced mocha latte from the Sky Bar. They had really cool aquariums and gift shops and even artists to draw your caricature up there. When we came down we were let out on the food floor, and had the most wonderful Italian food. The restaurant had red velvet seats, and black/white photos of famous gangster actors. Every place we have eaten gives you a warm, wet cloth to wash up with. By the way, there is absolutely NO TIPPING in Japan. It is forbidden.

Shiny New Bicycle

Most everyone here has a bicycle, and they all have baskets on the front! It is the most reasonable way to get your grocerys home fast, and the breeze you get from riding helps with the heat here. I got mine yesterday complete with all the bells (literally), and a built-in lock, light that turns on when I ride, and of course a seat for Hannah. When I first got on it to ride home from the store ("Homes" is the name of the store), I thought something was wrong with the front tire because it was shaking uncontrollably. I then realized it was me that was shaking, and had to take some deep breaths, to calm the bike down. Other than a brief mountain biking experience, I had not been on a bike for over 20 years.

Fashion and Food

It is said that Fashion in Japan sets the tone for the rest of the world. In fact "Sex and the City" relied on it for their costume choices. Well, I have seen yin and yang in this area. Here you will see a picture of many choices of dress clothes, all in black, and all very simple. Then you can find the sneaker/high heel/show off your pedicure shoe. Most of the women here are wearing stockings on their arms to shield from the sun. Most of them are also wearing high heels, even if they are riding a bike or motorcycle! Hats are in, sunglasses are out! Everyone carrys thier own cloth to dry hands after washing in public places, because they do not use much paper here. Check out the one this girl has!

The grocery store offers every type of sea creature possible, and it is cheapest to buy fish right out of the water and prepare it yourself. I personally could not get past the eyeballs!