Food, Anyone?

As soon as Asami left the room, I immediately found my camera and started snapping pictures of my room for the next week. Because our third roommate wouldn’t arrive until Tuesday, the room was still fairly empty. I had gone to the back of the room to snap a picture of the closets surrounding the door when Asami walked back in, wondering why I was taking a picture of a closed door. AWKWARD. She had come in to inform me that there was a group of people going to the supermarket, since I had no food and the school cafeteria wouldn’t be open until Monday. So I looked in my bag for my wallet and… it wasn’t there. Had I left it outside when we were bringing our bags in and I had set it down to get a better grip? We ran out to check.

It wasn’t there. The group wasn’t going to wait for me to go look back in my room again, so I decided to follow them without any money so I’d know where to go the next day. Asami offered to let me borrow some Yen (she’s the sweetest thing ever) but I waved her off. It turned out later that I had just looked in the wrong bag. Oh well.

The supermarket we all lived off during Orientation Week is called Top World, which is a popular chain in the area at least. It’s about a 15 minute walk from the dorm, which isn’t too bad unless you’re carrying an armload of water bottles and tea.

The first thing you notice in the grocery is that they’re playing Queen, or Abba… or Chicago. (or in the case of a snack shop just off campus, Bob Dylan) …I thought I was in Japan? Maybe not? Seriously, every time I’ve been in a grocery store here the music has been in English.

The next thing that catches your eye is the huge fruit and vegetables. The peaches looked as big as my fist. I couldn’t resist grabbing them, even though they were a little expensive. There are also huge grapes that are about $8 for two bunches, which we tried later on in the week at a banquet, that taste just like the artificial grape soda flavor. Weird, but tasty. My Favorite food so far is the Takoyaki (fried octopus) that Osaka is known for.

And yes, there are open freezers in the isles with frozen tubes of squid and giant fish heads, not to mention fish paste decorated like Pikachu and the Japanese favorite Doraemon. I was walking by these the first night when I noticed a little boy about 8 years old with glasses looking up at me. I smiled at him and he bowed and said “Haro.” It was so cute I almost died right there.

Now, Japan has some great snacks. I’m particularly fond of Pocky, and the yellow boxes of Calorie Mate that look exactly like the ones from a certain video game series I love. But there are some things that are a little too strange for me, like peanut butter in a toothpaste-like tube (although the Snoopy on the front was a plus) or little pieces of deep-fried cartilage (which I ate on accident. Eww.)

When you check out, there is a little tray with nubs sticking up from the bottom where you’re supposed to set the money (which I forget to do 55% of the time). The cashier puts bags in your basket and you move to one of the bagging stations to get ready to leave. I think it’s pretty efficient.

What’s also efficient is the placement of the coin machines, so while you’re packing your bags, the kid probably accompanying you (in this case, myself) is eyeing the toys and begging to get one. In my case, it was a $2 Pokemon watch (I got Pikachu! Lucky!). Two days in to Japan and I already bought something with a Pokemon on it. I love this place. (I needed a watch anyway. I promise.)