Part of the reason I liked the idea of moving to Tokyo on a Saturday was being able to go to church and meet people the very next day. As luck would have it, I live about 20 minutes walking from the temple/church, even closer than I lived in Manhattan. And church (the English branch) is at 10 am. The best church time there is. So, to church I went.
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| view of the temple from within the park across the street |
Similar to New York, the church has a varied population in the summer (lots of men with wives and children who have gone home to Utah and tourists). I did meet some nice members and, once I stopped sweating from the walk, I really enjoyed myself.
Once church was over, and I had just accepted the fact that I would be hot the rest of the day, I headed into the park just across the street. So reminiscent of the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park that I loved as a child…only it was the real thing. Perhaps not a “tea garden”, but the park was beautiful.
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| A man painting. I didn’t want to get too close because I wasn’t sure he’d like me taking a picture of him, but it was very pretty. |
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| the pond |
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| the pond from a little hill |
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| the beginning of the pond |
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| and a waterfall with Japanese maples…I cannot wait to see the leaves change this fall! |
On the walk home from church, I saw this little dude (we’ll assume it’s a “he”). Anyone want to take a stab at what this character belongs to?
He was outside of a fire station, so we’ll assume he’s a little fire fighter?
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| lunch |
When I got home, I made myself this very basic, very delicious lunch. And why am I sharing this on my blog? Because A) while fruit here is super expensive, it is also super delicious. B) I am so happy to be living somewhere that has natural light again I cannot even explain it. And C) to prove that I don’t eat out every meal.
And then I finished off lunch with a favorite treat. I know you can get Pocky all over the US now, but eating them in Tokyo is just way cooler. And they totally remind me of when my mom went to Tokyo and brought us packs of these before you could get them anywhere. Such a fun treat!
And of course, then there was dinner. My boss offered to take me out to eat Sunday night and I took her up on it. She asked me if I wanted traditional Japanese or something else. Of course, I went with Japanese. And, while my boss is American and doesn’t speak much Japanese, she has command of “restaurant Japanese” so it was really nice to just have someone else take care of ordering! Also, have I mentioned just how much I love Japanese food? And that I haven’t touched a fork since I got here?
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| appetizers – these were just brought as a start to the meal, a sort of amuse bouche |
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| soba |
She ordered a number of small plates for us. One of which was soba noodles. In the summer time, these are served cold (you can see ice on them if you look closely) and they are brought out with a sesame dipping sauce that’s amazing. They are thick and chewy and absolutely delicious!
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| yakitori |
Then, there was the yakitori (aka grilled meat on skewers). Also delicious. In case you were wondering, the food here is just incredible. It’s a good thing the gym is right in my building…
On that note, I must go exercise before the gym closes so I can keep eating all of these delicious things and not gain more than five pounds (I have to be realistic, right?!). But before that, tomorrow (or later tonight if I have the energy) I will be sharing with you Monday, my first day of work and the subways! More to come on the toilets, as well.
existential dilemmas 