A Few Final Impressions

I would be remiss if I didn’t comment on a few more things about Japan.


The food:
The food here is not only delicious but also beautiful. However, it is not for the faint of heart. I have lived in Africa, Eastern Europe, and had roommates from the Deep South. I have to be honest and say that Japanese food is by far the strangest. I’ve had fish every way imaginable – broiled, dried, braised in sauces I can not begin to explain, and of course raw. Then there are the sea foods that My Sweet doesn’t know how to translate but says, “Eat it, it is good for you.
There is a lot of calcium in it.” Every day he asks, “If your mom comes, do you think she will like this?” It all depends on how adventurous she is that day.

Fashion:
For older ladies, hats are in. It is a hat shaped much like the crushable had of Gilligan.

For young people the bronzed look is in. They somehow achieve an unnatural copper tone. Add to that sparkly heels and bleached hair and you are ready for the clubbing scene of Tokyo. On the other hand, several young ladies are harkening back to the traditional yukata (cotton kimono). It reminds me of the resurgence of prairie dresses in the 80’s. (Yes, I wore them to a dance or two, and looked pretty darn cute, thank you very much!)

For every one little lapdogs are the in thing. This from a country that does not allow much room for pet or strays. But now it is in to have a cute little shi-shi dog that will fit in your tote bag. My mother-in-law, who coos over her friends’ dogs, says she would not get one because she would never be able to go anywhere. When I suggested leaving the dog outside, she said someone would steal him. They cost $1500-$1700! Jeese Louise, they are beautiful, but a dog should never cost more than a house payment.

Reading:
The Japanese language uses at least three different alphabets, and all in the same sentence! The freaks! I have spent the last two weeks being totally illiterate, and it has frustrated me to the point of wanting to stick a chopstick in My Sweet’s eye! When I lived in other countries where I didn’t understand the language, I could at least sound out words and look them up in dictionaries.

Now it is back to the craziness of the US.

Joie de Vivre ~ A Hearty Joy of Living!