Grapes...Tokyo Game Show...Unagi...

On Sunday, Sept. 20th, Michael and I went grape picking with the Dundon’s. It was on the way to Nikko, about 30 minutes from our apartment. We were greeted by a nice couple who owns the farm and first they gave us 2 types of grapes to taste, green and purple. Unfortunately, it was a little past the season for green grapes, so we were only allowed to pick purple grapes. We were taken to an area with grapes ready to go. First you choose a bundle of grapes, then you pick one to taste if it’s good or not. If you like it you can cut the whole bundle, if not then you move on and find another bundle to try. Michael and I chose to very sweet and delicious bundles to take home. The grapes in Japan are very sweet; it reminds me of drinking Welch’s grape juice. After we were done we went back to the stand to have the grapes weighed. While the grapes were being weighed the owner took us back to the farm to show us a tree that was 50+ years old. He said that it was planted while he was in middle school. It was amazing to see how far the branches extended. We head back to the stand again and the owner’s wife decided to let us try some apples that she was peeling. They family also owned an apple farm up the street. They also gave us a sampling of their homemade apple juice. It was delicious. My teacher confirmed that there were no added preservatives or sugar, just some citric acid powder to prevent the juice from browning. I was shocked because of the natural sweetness, it was almost too sweet for me. I love the fruit in Japan!

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Last weekend, Michael and I went to Tokyo for the 2009 Tokyo Game Show. It was a video game show that had all the big names, Sony Playstation, Xbox, Konami, etc. displaying the latest and greatest in video games and technology. I was quite amazed by the size of the convention. People were waiting in line to test out the newest games or playing the games with their DS or PSP’s using the wi-fi connection. Unfortunately since our DS’s are from the US we could not play the games. Boooo, I probably can’t understand it anyways since it’s all in Japanese. There was also an area where people would dress up like video game characters and pose. We’re still trying to determine if it was something that they do voluntarily or are they hired. Regardless, the costumes were very intricate in detail and the people truly enjoyed dressing up. We stayed in Tokyo for the night and then on Sunday we met up with one of Michael’s friends from college that moved to Japan about a week ago with the Navy. We went to the US Naval Base in Yokosuka and Tony, Michael’s friend, took us into the base and gave us a tour. I have never been on a military base and I was so surprised by the ships. I mean, we read about in the paper or see pictures on the news, but seeing the ships in front of you in person was like nothing else. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to go on the ships, but just seeing it was awesome. Tony took us around the base and it’s like a mini America in Japan. There are schools, recreational centers, etc. We were excited to see Popeye’s Chicken, so that’s what we opted to eat. It tasted good, but my stomach was not happy after. It might be a hard adjustment on my stomach when we move back.

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This past week was one of the most stressful weeks in Japan. Our international driver’s license was expiring in November so we had to get our Japanese driver’s license. The process is ridiculous. First, we had to go do an interview to verify our identities. Then we go to driving school for 2 hours to learn the technicalities to pass the test. Then we go to the driving center (from 9:00 – 4:00) to take a written test and driving test. I took my first test on Monday and failed. Michael and I both went on Friday to take the test and we both passed. Michael took one try as I needed two. Regardless, we have our license and its one thing less we have to worry about. The process is crazy though and I would never want to do that again.
Saturday, Oct. 3 we went to dinner with one of my mom’s from Miya Kids and her family. They took us to this Unagi restaurant that was a traditional Japanese style restaurant. We had our own enclosed room and we sat on the floor in a tatami room. It was so nice and cozy, I really enjoyed it. The restaurant specializes in Unagidon(eel and rice bowl), sunomono, and yakitori. We ordered a little bit of each and it was delicious. Kiyoka, Jiro, her husband, Nico, their daughter, and Joe, their son was great company. Ironically, Jiro works out of Honda most of the time, so he and Michael will be able to see each other at work. What a small world. It’s been so wonderful to meet so many new people and getting to know them is even better. Thanks Miyamoto’s for the fabulous dinner together. On Sunday, we had an American style bbq with some friends. Nothing beats a good ol’ American style cheeseburger! Yum!

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