Doing many things over here, though our trip home and Christmas still feel far away. .
- Went on a date downtown to do some omiyage (souvenir) shopping and eat some yakitori (basically grilled chicken on a stick, though much tastier than it sounds) whilst enjoying a cold brew. Sadly, both of the places we know were full, so we ended up eating at a ramen shop. And no beer. We took the bus for nothing. 😦 (A zero-tolerance drinking and driving policy here in Japan..)
- Got to browse my favorite Japanese store, Muji. I could spend hours browsing that store — everything is so neat and tidy, all the packaging is the same, and they sell basically anything, from food goods to stationary to shoes to bikes to houseware to clothes. A cool place indeed.
- Hosting three Christmas parties for separate groups, though much of the cooking burden is on our guests. We’re providing the home, the tree, and the drinks/desserts. Should be fun!
- It’s been raining all day and shows no signs of stopping. This does not go with Christmastime for me.
- It’s cold in our house. Not too cold outside, but since Japanese houses are built without insulation, the indoor temp matches the outside. I pretty much reside on our living room couch, and I haven’t let the Nalgene bottle with hot watter out of my sight since I remembered it worked like a heating pad.
- I read “The Hiding Place” by Corrie ten Boom. One of my top ten reads, I think. Finished in three days, couldn’t put it down — now I feel hungry to read war-time books and stories.
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